Blessed Child
by T'Liana
Summary: Sakura is dumped by Sasuke for Naruto. A night in Lee's arms leaves the sixteen-year-old pregnant with his child. Will she decide to keep the baby? Will Lee stand beside her? And what will happen when everyone finds out? LeeSaku, NejiTen, KibaHina, ChoIno, SasuNaru.
1. Prologue

This story contains teen pregnancy so if that sort of thing offends you, you probably shouldn't read it. I like this story and how it turned out and I hope you do too!

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Prologue**

It was Sakura's first day at kindergarten. The four-year-old was excited to finally be doing something grown-up and entered the doors excitedly, gripping her hahaoya's hand tight. Her hahaoya went to talk to one of the kindergarten ladies, leaving Sakura to her own devices. She ran to the other side of the kindergarten classroom and peeked out the open door, watching a group of other children playing tag on the grass outside.

"Sakura!"

A familiar boy raced across the grass, a huge smile on his face. She smiled and ran up to her best friend, hugging him tightly.

"Lee!" she laughed. "I'm so happy to see you! Where's Gai?"

"He's at work," Lee replied, his eyes twinkling underneath his thick eyebrows. His hair was wild and tangled, like he hadn't combed it, and his round face was always cheerful. Sakura's parents and Lee's guardian, Gai, were good friends, so it made sense that their children played together. So Lee and Sakura had grown up together and were the best of friends.

"I'm so excited for our first day," she gushed, dancing around with him. Lee grabbed the sleeve of her jumper and pulled her across the grass, grinning.

"I made a few new friends. You can meet them!" He took her to where three girls sat underneath a pine tree with a picture book spread out in front of them. The one with blonde hair looked up at the newcomers.

"Hi Lee," she chirped. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Sakura."

The blonde gestured for them to sit and they did. She smiled, blue eyes wide. "I'm Ino Yamanaka."

One of the girls beside her – with brown hair tied in twin buns and soft brown eyes – smiled too. "I'm Tenten. It's great to meet you!"

The last girl, this one with pale grey eyes and short black hair, kept her gaze on the book and smiled shyly. "My name is Hinata Hyuga."

"I'm Sakura Haruno," Sakura declared, smiling. "Lee and I have been best friends since we were babies."

Ino smiled. "Lee's really nice and you're nice too. Can we be friends?"

"I'd love to be friends!" Lee and Sakura said at the same time. They exchanged glances and giggled.

"Then it's official!" Tenten cried. "We're all friends!" Hinata made a soft sound and blushed, a small smile gracing her face.

From that day on the five of them were friends. They did everything together and always had sleepovers at each other's houses. Ino and Sakura became close friends, just like Hinata and Tenten formed a firm friendship, but no bond was closer than Lee and Sakura. No matter where they were – at school, at home, out and about – they were inseparable.

When they entered high school, their group became even closer. They had all their classes together at first and most evenings after school Lee would come over to Sakura's house and they would do their homework and hang out. Gai would come and pick him up later and harp on about the 'advantages of youth'. Not long after high school began, Lee changed his wild hairstyle to a bowl cut, imitating his guardian and role model. Sakura thought it looked cute on him.

Then, in their tenth year of school, the most unbelievable thing happened to Sakura. Sasuke Uchiha agreed to go out with her.


	2. Chapter 1

To the lovely guest reviewer who told me to 'Kill yourself, pathetic loser', suicide rates around the world have increased over the past few years and thankfully I have no part in those ratings so how about... no. Honestly, there's no call for such rude comments from gits like you.

As for everyone else, I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 1**

Normally school holidays were a time of joy where one would go out with friends. Sakura disagreed as she doubled over the bathroom toilet, throwing up the sandwich she'd only just finished. She hadn't even had a chance to digest.

Coughing, she flushed the sandwich remains and stood shakily, crossing to the sink and rinsing the taste from her mouth. She looked up at the mirror and noted that she looked terrible – her face was pale and dark circles surrounded her eyes – and it was because of the sickness. The final term of school started tomorrow and she didn't think she'd make it if she was still sick. She'd been ill all holidays and had only left the house once, and even then it was for thirty minutes. Ino, Tenten and Hinata often called to invite her out with them, but she'd declined all offers since she was hunched over the toilet at all hours of the day and she didn't fancy ruining any outing.

Her hahaoya, Mebuki Haruno, peeked her head into the bathroom. "Are you still sick?"

"Yeah," Sakura sighed, sinking to the floor. "I don't know what it could be. Normal stomach bugs don't last this long."

Mebuki crouched next to her daughter. "You're right about that. I've spoken with your chichi and I'm taking you to the doctors."

"But-"

"No buts blossom; I won't stand by while you throw up everything you eat."

Sakura nodded slowly. "Okay." Mebuki helped Sakura stand and the pink-haired girl walked slowly to her room, where she peeled off her pyjamas and climbed into jeans and a jumper. Her chichi, Kizashi, was sitting in the lounge room when she walked through.

"Blossom, are you okay?" he asked softly, standing.

"I'm fine. I'm sure it's nothing serious. It's not like I'm anorexic." She smiled weakly as Kizashi stepped forward, taking her petite hands in his large ones.

"I hope you're right," he said earnestly, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "I'll see you when I get back from work." Kizashi worked as a hotel manager in one of the quieter establishments, and Mebuki was a receptionist at a local spa.

"See you then." Sakura pulled away and joined her hahaoya at the front door. How she hoped the doctor could figure out what was wrong with her.

o.O.o

The doctors waiting area was sparsely furnished with light-blue and purple chairs stationed back-to-back and a pot plant in the corner. A large desk took up one wall and two receptionists sat there, busily typing on their computers. Sakura and Mebuki sat against one wall without talking, absorbed in their own thoughts. The sixteen-year-old had already run to the bathroom once already, which concerned her hahaoya more than she let on.

A grey-haired doctor approached them. "Miss Haruno?" he asked quietly, appraising her through thick-lensed glasses.

"That's me," Sakura said, standing. He held out his hand and she shook it, noting his strong grip.

"Good morning Miss Haruno, I'm Doctor Kabuto Yakushi and I'll be taking care of you today."

Mebuki stood and offered her hand, which he shook. "Morning, I'm Mebuki Haruno, Sakura's hahaoya."

He nodded and smiled warmly. "Please follow me."

The hahaoya and daughter followed the doctor up a narrow corridor and into his office. Inside was a cluttered desk with a computer, a white linen bed, two straight-backed chairs and a large collection of medical equipment lay to one side. Sakura sat on the bed while Mebuki reclined in one of the chairs. They watched as the doctor closed the door, cutting off all excess noise.

Kabuto sat in his office chair and swivelled to face Sakura. "Now Miss Haruno, what seems to be the problem?"

"I've been throwing up regularly for about two weeks, normally after eating, but mostly in the mornings. It doesn't sound like any stomach bug I've heard of."

Kabuto nodded and turned to his computer, opening a new file and typing a few notes. "Okay. Have you tried any new foods recently?"

"Not that I know of."

"Do you have any allergies?"

"Just morphine, but I haven't been near any."

Mebuki nodded empathetically. "We've been very careful about morphine since Sakura had her appendix out three years ago."

Kabuto typed some more notes. "Have you been drinking lots of fluids?"

"Just water. It's the only thing I don't throw up."

"So you're throwing up after eating?"

"Yes."

"Has your appetite changed?" She stared blankly and he rephrased his question. "Would you say you've been eating more or less since you became sick?"

"Well I'm hungry all the time, but I vomit when I eat so I don't eat." Her stomach grumbled loudly at that moment, backing up her words. Kabuto pursed his lips.

"How are you sleeping?"

"Not well," she admitted, recalling the many nights she spent tossing and turning, unable to get to sleep. Thinking about it, sometimes her head ached at night at that was part of the reason she couldn't fall asleep. "I just feel terrible because I can't eat and sleep and I don't know why."

Kabuto looked her in the eye. "Have you had your period this month?"

Sakura's eyes widened at the personal question. "I, uh… that's a really weird question."

"It's okay blossom," Mebuki said comfortingly.

"Last month," Sakura said slowly, uncomfortable with discussing the topic with a stranger.

"So you haven't had your period this month?"

"No, but I only got my first one six months ago and I've heard that it's normal to skip them."

"Still…" Kabuto muttered, opening his desk drawer and digging through. Sakura exchanged a confused glance with her hahaoya, who just shook her head. "Ah ha!" Kabuto pulled a box from his drawer and shook it, the contents rattling. "I knew I still had one." He crossed to the bed and handed the box to Sakura. "Do you know what this is?" Shaking her head, the girl looked down at the box, noting the words 'pregnancy test' emblazoned on the side.

Mebuki gasped and Sakura's hands tightened on the box. "You're saying…" the girl whispered, a note of panic entering her voice. "Why did you give me this?" A blush crossed her face.

"Morning sickness is a usual sign of pregnancy," Kabuto said gently. "If you had a stomach bug then you'd be a lot sicker than you are now. Otherwise, no illness I know can explain your problems."

"This is ridiculous!" Mebuki declared. "You can't be pregnant."

Kabuto smiled understandingly. "It doesn't do any harm to take the test." He looked at Sakura, who hadn't moved for a minute now. "Do you know what to do?" The girl shook her head slowly, her eyes on the ground. "You open the box and take out the stick." She did as she was told, her movements hesitant. "Now you need to pee on the end of the stick. It'll only take a few minutes. The bathroom is down the hall."

"I know where," Sakura whispered. "I've already been." She stood stiffly and wandered from the room, her expression vacant. There was no way she was pregnant. She couldn't be. Still, she locked the bathroom door behind her and obediently peed on the end of the stick. Afterwards she walked back to Kabuto's office with the stick held tightly. It would be negative. There was no way she was pregnant.

When she opened the door to the office a slight drone of voices stopped. Mebuki and Kabuto looked up at her expectantly and she handed over the stick without a word, sitting back on the bed to await the result. The next minute passed agonisingly slow as Kabuto examined the stick, his brow furrowed slightly. When he looked back up, his expression was neutral.

"Miss Haruno… the test is positive."

Mebuki gasped in horror and Sakura's head swam for a moment as all the blood rushed from her face. Her heart hammered in her chest and her breath caught. No… she couldn't be pregnant. It wasn't possible. Her vision blurred and she instantly realised the truth of the situation.

o.O.o

 _When the handsome Sasuke Uchiha agreed to go out with her, Sakura Haruno thought her life couldn't get any better. He was smart, popular, attractive and completely desirable, and he was hers. They went on a few dates to popular locations around town and Sakura always ignored how unenthusiastic he was about physical contact. She knew he was uncomfortable with touching and didn't push him. After all, she didn't want to chase him off._

 _All her friends were happy for her. Ino, Tenten and Hinata were pleased that Sakura was happy and Lee well… Lee was Lee. Predictably, he threatened to punch Sasuke if the Uchiha hurt her in any way._

 _Things started going wrong when Sasuke began to spend time with Naruto Uzumaki, as the blonde had just lost his chichi. Sasuke's chichi was dead too so the boys bonded over their lack of a chichi-figure. Sakura should have seen the signs. She should have realised that Sasuke had lost interest to the point that he refused to touch her. They didn't kiss anymore and their relationship was over in everything but name._

 _When Sasuke finally dumped her on the final day of term, Sakura accepted it on the outside, while on the inside she was screaming. She locked herself in her bedroom and cried all night, knowing that she had three weeks of moping to do before next term began._

 _Mebuki eventually knocked on her door._

 _"Sakura?" Mebuki asked, concern in her voice. "Are you okay?"_

 _"Go away!" Sakura shouted, burying her face in her pillow._

 _She lost track of time until there was another knock on the door. By this time she was exhausted from crying and wiped her face tiredly, peering through the darkness in her room. The door opened and a familiar face poked through, followed by a familiar body._

 _"Hello Sakura," Lee said hesitantly. "Mebuki said you are upset."_

 _Sakura allowed a small smile as Lee said her hahaoya's name. Lee was like a son to her parents; lord knows he was over enough._

 _"Sasuke…" she murmured, her voice hoarse._

 _Lee crossed the room and sat on the bed, reaching out to stroke her hair. "I will punch him if you wish."_

 _"No. He likes Naruto and that makes him gay. I don't have a chance." A fresh wave of sadness washed over her and she bit her lip to stop it from wobbling._

 _"My dear cherry blossom," Lee said softly, pulling her up with his strong arms. He held her to his chest and rocked her quietly, allowing her to grieve in his arms. "I will do anything you want me to, just tell me what." Sakura lifted her head to look at him, taking in his awful bowl cut and bushy eyebrows, but she'd never seen such a sweet, thoughtful face._

 _"Stay with me," she whispered. "Be with me."_

 _He frowned slightly. "Sakura…"_

 _She pressed her hand to the back of his head brought him down until his lips connected with hers. He froze slightly at the contact before relaxing into the kiss._

 _"Stay with me," she murmured against his lips._

 _"Of course," he replied. This kiss felt right. All thoughts of Sasuke flew from Sakura's mind as she fell into Lee's embrace._

o.O.o

Sakura's breath hitched and she swayed on the bed in Kabuto's office, the shock taking full effect. Mebuki leapt from her chair and pulled her daughter into a crushing hug, holding her tight.

"Oh my blossom, are you okay?"

"We should give Miss Haruno some space," Kabuto said gently. "Miss Haruno, how are you feeling? I know it must have come as a shock."

"It's okay," Sakura breathed. "I just… it was just really unexpected, is all." Mebuki released Sakura from the embrace but remained close by her daughter.

"Doctor, can the test be wrong?"

"It could be," he admitted. "Miss Haruno, I realise that this is a very personal question, but have you had unprotected intercourse recently?"

Sakura couldn't look at her hahaoya. She swallowed and glanced at the comforting face of the doctor. "Three weeks ago," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Mebuki cried out in alarm and pulled her daughter into another hug, sobbing.

"Was it that Sasuke boy? Is that why he broke up with you?"

"No hahaoya," Sakura replied softly. "Sasuke is gay. It wasn't him. But it was only once and it just sort of… happened." She returned her hahaoya's embrace and closed her eyes, fighting the tears. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm sorry…"

"I know blossom," Mebuki whispered, pulling back. "What do you want to do? Do you want an abortion?"

Sakura gasped. An abortion? Sure, an abortion was the easy way out of this. No one at school would find out and life would go on as usual. But then she thought of Lee. It was his child too. Wouldn't he deserve to have some say over what happened?

"I need some time," she said finally.

Kabuto nodded and returned to the computer. "If that is your decision, I ask that you call me when you decide. If you decide to abort the baby, I will organise an abortion. If you decide to keep it, you'll need to come back in so we can discuss things."

"Okay." She gripped Mebuki's hand. "Doctor, do you have any books on pregnancy and child-rearing? I should probably do some reading before making a decision."

"Of course," he said warmly. "Stay here and I'll get some books." He left the office and Mebuki held her daughter tight. Sakura's belly clenched in fear as she tried to comprehend what had just happened.


	3. Chapter 2

Back with another chapter. I hope you're all having a great day and if you've just woken up, I hope you have a great one!

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 2**

Lee finished buttoning up his shirt and wound his school tie around his neck, lashing it expertly like he always did. He turned to the mirror and ran a fine-toothed comb through his hair, flattening it across his forehead. When his hair was perfect, he put down the comb and stared at his face in the mirror.

"Today I will see her," he said softly. "I will not reveal my feelings and will not press her to return them."

For the past three weeks Lee had fought the urge to seek out Sakura and talk to her. After contacting Ino and asking about how girls dealt with break-ups, she told him that Sakura probably needed some time to herself. Lee didn't tell anyone about the night he and Sakura had shared. To be honest, he was confused about it all. Sakura had liked Sasuke for years and her three months as his girlfriend had put a smile on her face. Lee was happy for her, despite his intense jealousy for the Uchiha.

Most unfortunately for Lee, he'd been in love with Sakura since primary school. He knew that crushes didn't last long, and his affection for the pink-haired girl had gone on for years, so he reasoned it to be love. So he loved her. He did anything to make her happy, even if that meant allowing Sasuke to date her.

Lee pulled a face at the thought. Sasuke had hurt Sakura deeply with his eventual rejection and only intense self-restraint kept the tall boy from hunting him down and punching him. Mebuki had called Lee the night before holidays began, asking him to come over because Sakura was crying. As her best friend, he was the best-equipped to listen and provide comfort. He turned up at the Haruno household and went straight to Sakura. His worst fears were realised: Sakura had been hurt. So he held her close and offered to do anything for her so she would feel better.

Then she asked for a strange thing. He didn't know if it was out of loneliness, sadness or confusion, but he did it anyway in the hopes that her hurt would lessen. Every day afterwards he wondered if he should have said no; maybe she would still be talking to him. He was afraid that their night together had ruined their friendship. Lee knew that she didn't feel the same way about him – she saw him as a friend – and he wouldn't push his feelings on her.

After all, if they mended their friendship he would happily remain in that position just so he could remain close to her.

o.O.o

"Sakura, blossom, you don't have to go to school today," Mebuki said. Sakura sat in the passenger's seat of their little Suzuki Swift, schoolbag held tight against her chest. She wore the normal school uniform – knee-length navy-blue skirt, white blouse, white socks, black shoes and navy-blue tie. Her bag had her lunch, notebooks, pencil case and one of the pregnancy books tucked inside.

"I know," she said quietly, "but if this is my last term at school I want to make the most of it." Even without talking to Lee, Sakura had half a mind to keep the baby. The other half – the scared half – wanted to abort it.

"Okay," Mebuki sighed. "If you want to come home, just give me a call. I love you blossom."

"I love you too." Sakura got out of the car and surveyed the front gates of the school warily. People milled outside, laughing and chatting, talking about all the fun they'd had on their holidays. Sakura scowled and marched through the crowd, lowering her head to the whispers that sounded as she passed. Everyone was still buzzing about Sasuke dumping her after coming out as gay. Well, at least they didn't know she was pregnant.

Her friends were probably hanging out in the Art rooms, as they always did before school. Sakura's group still consisted of Ino, Hinata, Tenten and Lee. Ino was always the first person Sakura went to for advice, as she was always willing to help out her friends. Hinata was quiet and very bright and often acted as the little sister of their group; the clueless one that didn't understand innuendo. The dark-haired girl was still incredibly sweet and was great to study with. Tenten was very tomboyish and got along with everyone and Sakura always cheered up after talking with the brunette.

Then there was Lee.

As the only boy in the group, many people assumed he was gay. While Lee had many girlish tendencies and was very eccentric, he wasn't gay. As they'd practically grown up together, she knew that he wasn't. Sakura couldn't count the number of nights they'd spent watching movies, playing video games and just hanging out. He was always there for her and never ceased to threaten Sasuke when Sakura was dating him. Sometimes he was the overprotective brother, but he wasn't just a brother or friend anymore. Last month assured that.

Sakura hadn't contacted Lee since the night they'd spent together. He understood her need for space (after speaking with Ino of course) and didn't try to talk to her, content that she would contact him when she was ready. She just hoped he wasn't too annoyed with her since she hadn't spoken to him for the three weeks of holidays.

As she'd thought, her friends were in the Art rooms, huddled around a table and giggling at a video on Ino's phone. They all looked up as Sakura entered and beamed.

"Hey Sakura!" Ino cried. "I didn't see you all holidays! How are you? Are you okay?"

Sakura shrugged. "I've just been a bit sick. Hahaoya took me to the doctors yesterday and it's been sorted out." Her eyes strayed to the tall boy sitting with Hinata and Tenten and she blushed, looking away. Lee just smiled like he always did.

"I missed you," Hinata said, hugging Sakura. "My brother held a big party for Shikamaru's birthday and you were the only one that didn't come."

Tenten popped her hip. "Sasuke's been asking about you. He wants to talk to you and see if you're all good."

"Well I am," she replied honestly. "I just hope he's treating Naruto right."

Ino snorted. "They've been all lovey-dovey all holidays. I can't _wait_ for Sarutobi to get up at them for touching at school." She smirked. "Not that I have anything against them, but it's hilarious watching Sarutobi get mad!"

"I know," Sakura grinned. Strange how she'd gone from terrified expectant hahaoya to gossiping teenager in less than a minute. She turned her head away. "Lee, can I talk to you?"

"Of course." He rushed forward to stand beside her, his eyes wide and attentive. She hesitantly grabbed his sleeve and tugged him from the room to the concrete outside. Her friends immediately turned around, sure that it had nothing to do with them.

"Um…" Sakura began hesitantly, glancing around. "It's about last month…"

Lee's gaze softened underneath his bushy eyebrows, a mixture of emotions crossing his face. "I apologise if I overstepped your boundaries. I will accept it if you want to terminate our friendship."

"No! It's nothing like that! I still want to be friends. I just…" She rubbed her stomach distractedly, looking at the ground. It was a lot harder than she thought. "What do you think about children?" she asked suddenly.

Lee's eyebrows knitted together. "I like children. I would like to have some one day and marry the woman I love."

"Lee-" The bell blared and Sakura stopped, knowing that someone could now easily overhear them. "Can you come over after school?"

"Sure." He grinned and hugged her. "I was worried that you did not want to be friends anymore. I am happy that we are still friends." He turned and walked away and Sakura stared at his retreating back, wondering what he would say when she told him the truth.

o.O.o

Lee. Lee, Lee, Lee. He devoured her thoughts all day and she could barely focus on her schoolwork. Quite a few teachers were unimpressed with her attitude but she didn't care. She was mulling over how to tell Lee that he could be a chichi in eight months. The idea still felt so strange… she was _pregnant_. A _life_ was growing inside her at this very moment. If she was to have the baby she'd have to drop out at the end of the school year, meaning she'd graduate after her tenth year and wouldn't finish her final two. There were two more months of school this year and after that was winter break.

It was all so confusing and overwhelming and she still had to tell Lee. How was she going to do it?

The bell for lunch rang and she moved slowly from her seat, heading to the Art rooms absent-mindedly. A hand on her arm stopped her and she turned, staring at Sasuke. He looked different though she couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly.

"Sakura," he said quietly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. "I was upset at first but I'm okay now. I'm happy that you're happy and you found someone who makes you happy."

He let go of her arm. "I'm just sorry that I hurt you to do it."

"Don't feel sorry." She suddenly felt exhausted. "Just…" A wave of nausea ran through her and she doubled over, clutching her hand to her mouth.

"Sakura?" Sasuke bent down and held her shoulder.

"Bathroom," she gasped. He wrapped his arm around her waist and they rushed through the corridors, stopping at the girls' bathroom. She barrelled inside and dived at the nearest toilet, throwing up her brunch. She'd held onto it for nearly two hours. That was a record.

When she'd emptied the contents of her stomach she washed out her mouth and exited the bathroom, noticing that Sasuke was waiting outside.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked.

"I've just been sick," she shrugged. "Look Sasuke, you don't have to feel bad. Just be happy with Naruto. He's obviously a very special boy."

A strange look fluttered across Sasuke's face and he nodded. "Thank you. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. See you around." She retreated, waving slightly, and went straight to the Art rooms.

o.O.o

As agreed, Lee met her after school. Mebuki was there to pick them up and took them to the Haruno household, completely oblivious to Sakura's flushed cheeks. The pink-haired girl had to force down the nausea that flared while the car moved.

Once home, she and Lee went to her room under the pretence of doing their homework like they always did. Her parents didn't suspect a thing. They would never think that _Lee_ was the chichi.

Lee closed the door behind him and watched as Sakura slumped on her bed, a defeated expression on her face. "What has happened?" he asked worriedly. Sakura looked up at him tiredly.

He was such a kind, guileless boy and he meant no harm. The baby wasn't his fault – it was hers. If she hadn't asked, they wouldn't be in this awkward position where she had to explain that he could be a chichi. Their baby's life depended on Lee's decision, as Sakura felt fully-prepared to raise him or her if Lee wanted to help. If he wanted nothing to do with the baby, Sakura would book an abortion. This wasn't something she could do on her own and she needed his support if she was going to keep it.

"There's no easy way to say this," she eventually said. "But… things are different between us."

"I know. I do not regret what happened between us last month."

"I'm not sure if I do or not," she admitted. Even after what they'd done, she still wasn't sure of her feelings for him. She saw him as she always had: as a friend. If there were any romantic notions towards him, they were well hidden.

Lee sat beside her, his brows knitting together. "What bothers you?"

"I have a confession…" She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, attempting to ready herself. Her eyes flew open as Lee covered her small hands with his large ones, his touch gentle.

"I will hear it," he said softly, his eyes wide and guileless. She breathed deeply for several moments, drawing strength from his touch, and found the courage.

"Lee… I'm pregnant."

The look on his face would have been priceless if she hadn't been completely terrified by the expression. When he finally spoke, his voice was shaky. "Is it…?"

"It's yours. I haven't been with anyone else. I went to the doctors yesterday and they told me."

"So when you were sick before…"

"It's a part of being pregnant. But Lee, there's something really important we need to discuss."

"I am ready." He set his mouth in a determined line. She dug deep inside her to find the courage.

"I don't know if I want to keep the baby or not. I wanted to ask you first, seeing as it's yours too."

Lee's face went slack and he took several deep breaths. "You are pregnant with my child. I…" He pressed his other hand to her stomach and breathed softly. "My child is within you. I cannot explain how that makes me feel." His eyes turned sad. "But we are teenagers and are completely unequipped for parenthood."

She swallowed in an attempt to still her racing heart. "I know. But I know that every child needs love. What if we were to give them that love?" She shook her head. "I've thought about it a lot and abortion scares me. It's… murder."

"Do you wish to raise the child?"

She nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "That scares me more. I know I shouldn't, but I want to. It's wrong! I don't know what I'm doing!" Her voice had risen and she quickly lowered it so her parents wouldn't come.

Lee laid his other hand on top of their joined ones. "If you wish to raise him or her, I will stand beside you and do whatever you need of me."

"This is crazy." She shook her head. "Totally crazy." Guilt surged through her as she realised the full impact of Lee's declaration. He was agreeing to raise a baby with her. It was wrong, given that they weren't even _together_. They were just friends! A strange thought popped up and she wondered what it would be like to love Lee as a boyfriend. Strangely, the idea of loving him wasn't that bad, especially when she remembered how gentle he was with her. Perhaps… if they _did_ raise the baby… and bonded as a result… she could learn to love him? And he could learn to love her? It was a big _if_. Lee was her best friend and her brother. Would it be bad if she found another way to love him?


	4. Chapter 3

And the plot thickens... now they're faced with the dilemma of telling their parents!

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 3**

Gai was coming to pick Lee up in ten minutes. The two teenagers had finished their homework and were currently sitting around the Haruno's dinner table eating noodles for dinner. Lee was talking animatedly with Kizashi about ninja movies and Mebuki smiled at the conversation. For Sakura's parents this was a normal evening, but it wouldn't be for long. Both parents-to-be agreed to tell Mebuki, Kizashi and Gai the truth: Lee was the chichi and they were keeping the baby. Sakura shook her head, still unable to believe what was happening.

After all, aside from the constant puking she didn't even _feel_ pregnant.

"The foreign ninja movies really lack the realism that Japanese movies have," Lee declared, waving his chopsticks around. Kizashi laughed and went to reply when the doorbell rang.

"Gai's early," Mebuki grinned, standing and walking to the front door. Sakura swallowed nervously and exchanged a glance with Lee. He smiled encouragingly from across the table.

"Lee! My youthful son!" Gai burst through the doorway excitedly, smelling of sweat. He worked at one of the local gyms and everyone feared a workout with the terrifying Might Gai. He was just as intense with his workouts as he was with everything else.

"Hello chichi." Lee greeted his adopted chichi enthusiastically, but he didn't stand like he usually would. Instead he gulped down the rest of his noodles and pushed his bowl away.

"Gai, can we tempt you with some noodles?" Mebuki asked.

"No, I ate at work. Thank you for feeding my monster of a boy." He bounded over to Lee and ruffled his hair cheerfully. "Did you eat them out of house and home?"

"No chichi." Lee rolled his eyes.

Gai laughed and looked at Sakura. "Hello pretty blossom! You look pale. Are you spending enough time outside? Would you like to come along for an outdoor workout tomorrow afternoon?"

He was always offering for Sakura to workout with him and Lee. She always refused, knowing that she couldn't keep up with the athletic duo. "No thanks. I, um, I can't really right now."

His brow furrowed with concern. "Are you okay?"

How many times had she been asked that in the last few days? Too many to count… "No. I have something to tell all of you."

Mebuki sat in her chair again, frowning, and Gai squeezed in beside Lee. "What is it blossom?" the hahaoya asked in concern.

Sakura looked at Lee again and he continued to smile encouragingly. If he were closer she would have grabbed his hand. "I should be honest with all of you." She steeled herself for the reactions and blurted everything out. "Lee's the chichi!"

Everyone stared for a long moment and Sakura's face reddened under the scrutiny. Then they all turned collectively to stare at Lee. Gai broke the silence.

"Lee's the chichi of… what?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant," Sakura said softly, her heart thudding in her chest. "Lee's the chichi. And we're keeping the baby."

Gai looked between them for a long moment before his face broke out into a smile. "Congratulations! I would love to have a grandchild!"

Mebuki's mouth dropped open. "Sakura, you can't seriously be suggesting to raise the baby. Do you have any idea how much work they are?"

At her hahaoya's words, every misgiving Sakura felt just… melted away. "We're raising the baby."

Kizashi rounded on Lee, his eyes narrowing. "Of all the boys, I thought you were the safe one."

"It was unintentional," Lee replied. "We did not mean for it to happen."

Sakura's chichi took a deep breath to calm himself. "Are you two a couple now?"

"No!" Sakura shook her head. "It was just…" She couldn't believe she was having this conversation with her parents and Gai. "It was when Sasuke had just broken up with me."

Lee stepped in for her, for which she was thankful. "We did not intend to do anything. It just happened and has not happened since. But we must deal with the consequences and we will raise the child that our union created."

Gai hugged his son, tears in his eyes. "Oh, when did you become so youthfully mature?! I am so proud of you my boy!"

"What Lee said," Sakura muttered hastily. Kizashi stared at her for a long while and turned to glare at Lee.

"You're lucky I like you," he growled. "You treat her right and I don't kill you."

Lee looked shocked. "I would never hurt Sakura! She is my best friend!"

That was the crux of the matter as far as Sakura was concerned. They were going to raise a baby together and they were only best friends. It felt… wrong. Again, she wondered if it would be bad if she started to love him romantically, but dismissed the notion.

o.O.o

After Gai and Lee left, Sakura was questioned thoroughly by her parents. She told them everything and expressed her thoughts on falling in love with him.

"You couldn't do better," Mebuki had said confidently. "Lee's a good boy."

"I'm glad he's the chichi and not some jerk," Kizashi admitted.

When she finally got to sleep she was plagued by strange dreams where she was married to Lee and had a child that looked like Sasuke. She woke the next morning feeling unsettled, then ran straight to the toilet to vomit again.

After a light breakfast of miso soup, Sakura dressed and was driven to school by Mebuki. Her hahaoya constantly shot her worried looks while they were in the car and it irked Sakura to the point of anger.

"Hahaoya!" she snapped. "I'm having the baby! I know it'll be lots of work but I'd take that over abortion any day."

Mebuki sighed and glued her eyes on the road. "I can't help but worry, blossom. You're my little girl."

"Hahaoya, I'm going to do this with Lee. We've both agreed. I'm going to leave school at the end of this year so I can become a hahaoya. Lee's still deciding what he's going to do. Either he's going to stay in school and find part-time work, or leave school to work casual so we can get some money. I'm not having you, chichi and Gai paying for everything."

Mebuki's posture relaxed and she sighed again. "When did you become so mature?"

Sakura smiled softly. "You know the answer."

They pulled up outside the school and Mebuki laid a hand on Sakura's arm. Hahaoya and daughter shared a look. "Blossom, don't force yourself to fall in love with him. Just let it happen."

"Thanks hahaoya," Sakura murmured gently. She leant forward and kissed Mebuki on the cheek before getting out of the car.

Lee was waiting for her at the front gates, smiling widely. He held out his elbow and she held it lightly, unable to prevent a small smile from escaping. They walked into the school arm-in-arm, Lee towering over her. No one thought anything of it – it wasn't unusual for those two to walk like that. The contact, however limited, calmed Sakura's racing heart. Stress was bad for a baby.

Only Ino was in the Art room when they arrived. Sakura knew she would have to tell her friends sometime, but she didn't want to do it at school. It was better to do it in a safer environment, like at a park or someone's house.

"Hey guys," Ino greeted, looking up from her computer screen. "You should take a look at this prank video! This guy puts wasabi in his roommate's mouth while his roommate is asleep and it's hilarious!"

Lee and Sakura moved behind her to watch the video, but they didn't lose contact. Ino was right; the video was hilarious. Both Ino and Lee were in stitches in the end and Sakura was giggling quietly. It was nice to have a distraction every now and then, even in the form of a YouTube clip.

Loud voices sounded outside and Neji and Hinata appeared, obviously arguing. Strangely, Neji seemed to be losing this argument, as evidenced by the annoyance in his voice. Hinata shouted "Good!" at him and marched into the Art room, leaving a fuming Neji in her wake. He turned and stalked away, his long hair swinging behind him.

"What were you arguing about this time?" Ino asked.

"Well," Hinata sighed, "you know I'm having a sleepover with all of you this weekend. My dear brother wanted to invite his friends over too."

Sakura tilted her head. "As in… Sasuke, Naruto… Kiba… Shikamaru, Choji and Shino?"

"Yes. I won the argument by saying that you haven't been over in weeks, while his friends were over last weekend." Hinata looked at the ground. "You are coming aren't you Sakura?"

The pink-haired girl blinked. "This is the first I've heard of it. I'll see what I can do." This would be the perfect time to tell them about her problem. After all, if she didn't tell them and they found out another way, they'd be extremely mad at her. She couldn't bear to lose any of them.

Lee nudged her. "I will be going. If you stay at my house on Friday we can both go on Saturday?"

Sakura shrugged. "Sounds like a good idea. I'll ask my parents."

The bell rang and they all scattered, wishing each other a good morning until they met again for brunch. Sakura and Ino had double Humanities first up and that term they were covering history, specifically the Renaissance. Their teacher, Zabuza Momochi, seemed less scary that day when they walked in the door.

"How are you doing?" Ino asked softly once they'd taken their usual seat. Sakura tilted her head.

"About what?"

"About Sasuke and everything. I was worried about you all holidays, but you seem better today." Ino watched her with wide blue eyes.

"I'm fine. Believe it or not… I don't actually feel anything for him anymore." It was the truth. As soon as she learned she was pregnant, all feelings for Sasuke were gone. The only boy she thought about was Lee.

Ino smiled. "I'm glad you're okay. You had us concerned." She leant in close and spoke in a low whisper. "And now that you're over him I can tell you that he was never worth it."

Sakura blinked. "But I thought you liked him too."

"Nope." Ino shook her head. "I only said that to annoy you. Truth is, I've liked someone else for a while."

"Who?"

"I'm not saying now," Ino winked. "I'll tell you at the sleepover. I also believe that Hinata has some new information about her crush on Kiba."

The boy in question was in a deep discussion with Naruto about action figures. Sakura looked him up and down. Kiba Inuzuka had always been a nice boy; opening doors and carrying books for people; and he was handsome in an odd way with wild hair and sharper-than-usual-teeth. For someone like Hinata, Kiba was just her type. He seemed completely oblivious to her crush, as was typical for boys, but she continued to hope that he'd notice her.

Zabuza cleared his throat at the front of the class and everyone shut up immediately, not wanting to risk getting on his bad side. "Good morning. As you know, we're studying the Renaissance this term. Today we'll be looking at their social system. I'd like you to break up into groups of three and have one person come up to get activity sheets for the group. Go."

Everyone scrambled around to find a group and Sakura and Ino looked around for a possible third person. Two rows behind her, Ino spotted a boy eating chips, totally unaware of the world around him.

"Choji!" she called. He looked up and she beckoned frantically. The boy grabbed a pen and darted up to their desk, pulling up a chair.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"We had to get into groups," Sakura hissed as Ino went up to get the sheets.

Choji grimaced meekly. "I wasn't paying attention…"

Ino re-joined them and handed a sheet to Choji, keeping her eyes averted. Sakura looked between the two of them and noticed how Choji was perfectly ignorant to Ino's furious blushing. It looked like Sakura didn't need to wait until the weekend to know who Ino liked.

o.O.o

The car pulled up at Haruno household and Sakura exited immediately, sitting on the ground and drawing her knees to her chest. She took several deep breaths to force down her nausea and Mebuki walked around the car and placed a hand on her daughters shoulder. They smiled at each other and Sakura stood slowly, following Mebuki inside.

They'd just been to the doctors to meet with Kabuto. The good doctor had given the hahaoya-to-be a long lecture on looking after her health and provided a brief timeline on what to expect over her pregnancy. He said that the first ultrasound could be taken at twelve weeks and organised an appointment for the young girl. Then he'd given her more books to read and sent her on her way, wishing her well.

"So hahaoya," Sakura said once they were inside, "Hinata is having a sleepover this weekend on Saturday. Lee was thinking I could stay over at his on Friday and we could head over together. Is that okay?"

Mebuki placed the pregnancy books on the kitchen bench and turned, one eyebrow raised. "Are you sure you should, given your condition?"

"Hahaoya, Ino and Tenten will be there. I have to tell them."

"I'm not sure you should. You'd be better off keeping it to yourself."

"They're bound to find out anyway and I'd rather they heard it from me. I trust them. They've been my friends for years and they'll support me." She rearranged her face into a pleading expression. "Please, I need their support. I can't do this without them on my side."

Mebuki hesitated and looked down at the books, her hands tightening on the pile. "I suppose so. When I was pregnant with you I went to a support group with other pregnant women. I had my friends." A strained smile crossed her face. "I remember Gai came over every day to see how I was doing. He's such a sweetie, even though he can be a real idiot at times. It's why he and your chichi get along so well."

Sakura bit her lip. "Is chichi okay?"

"He'll be fine. He's just moaning over the fact that you're too young to have a baby. If the chichi was anyone but Lee, he'd be a lot worse."

The girl's hand ghosted down to her stomach and she touched it lightly. "I still can't believe this is happening."

Mebuki handed her one of the books. "If you read this, it'll feel more real."

"Okay. I'll read it." Sakura held up her hand. "Just let me go pee first."


	5. Chapter 4

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 4**

When class finished on Friday, Sakura walked out of HPE with Lee, laughing at one of his jokes. The atmosphere between them had been good and they'd managed to prevent any awkwardness by acting like they always did. At Sakura's request, Lee had refrained from coming over to her house in the afternoons, as she wanted time to read the books and come to terms with her pregnancy on her own.

By now it had sunk in. She was pregnant with Lee's baby. The thought made her feel strangely happy and once again she wondered if they had the potential to be a good couple. Unintentionally, she found herself comparing Lee to Sasuke. With Lee, she knew everything about him and was always comfortable with his presence, while with Sasuke she knew very little and was always giggly around him. In terms of boyfriend material, she came to realise that Lee would be a better choice.

It was just a matter of warming to the idea of falling in love with her best friend.

They stopped at Lee's locker first so he could collect his bag, then went to Sakura's. She had two bags – her normal school bag and the bag she'd packed for her two nights away from home. Then they wandered to the front gates and left the school behind, walking to Lee's home. He lived thirty-minutes-walk away and the walk was always bothersome in summer, but in early winter it was nice.

"How are you feeling?" Lee asked once no one was around.

"I'm still vomiting," Sakura told him. "That'll happen for about two more months and then I'll begin my second trimester."

"And the headaches? Are you sleeping well?"

"Headaches, yes. Sleeping well, no. How's the job-hunt going?"

They talked for several minutes while they walked, until they passed a tea shop. Lee touched her arm. "Would you like some tea? Or cake?" He blushed. "I read that tea is good for settling stomachs."

"Now that you mention it, I am pretty hungry." Sakura wandered over to the shop and took a seat at one of the tables outside. Lee sat across from her and they looked at the big menu above the cashier.

"What would you like?" he asked.

Sakura's gaze was riveted on a particular item – almond tea cakes. She wasn't too keen on almonds, but at the moment they sounded delicious. Then there was the green tea… "The almond tea cakes and green tea."

He tilted his head. "I thought you did not like almonds."

"I don't." She remembered something from one of the pregnancy books she'd read. "I think it's a craving. I read that they're common." She smiled as Lee waved over the waiter. "This is my first craving, if that's what it is."

Lee smiled and looked up at the blue-haired waiter. "Can we please have an almond cake, a hedgehog slice and two green teas?"

"You'll receive your food shortly," the man said, retreating.

As Sakura sat there with Lee, waiting for their food to arrive, she couldn't help but watch him. Her mind worked furiously, trying to figure out exactly what it was about Lee that could appeal to her romantically. His hair and eyebrows were awful (she'd told him plenty of times) but he had a very nice body with broad shoulders and a sculpted chest that led down to tapered hips. He had not one ounce of body-fat on him and was freakishly strong, though he always hid his muscles beneath baggy clothes. Lee was insecure about his body, she knew, though he had no reason to be. If anything, he should be insecure about his bowl cut and the caterpillar eyebrows that adorned his face.

Actually, if she changed the hair and eyebrows, she could see him looking vaguely handsome. What she loved most about him was his hands – they enclosed her small ones completely, giving her a sense of safety and security, and were rough to the touch, but surprisingly gentle. He'd been incredibly careful with her last month…

She fought the urge to shake her head, knowing that she was overthinking things. Her hahaoya had said to not force herself to fall in love with Lee and to let it happen naturally.

Their food and tea arrived and Sakura devoured the slice hungrily, barely stopping to gulp down her tea. Lee grinned and matched her pace teasingly, though he made sure she finished first.

"I wasn't aware that we were racing," she said, swallowing her last mouthful.

"I find that friendly competition while eating is an entertaining pastime. Naruto and Sasuke do it all the time."

"Really? I haven't seen them." If Sasuke was mentioned two weeks ago, Sakura would have told whoever it was to shut up. Now, she felt nothing. It was strange.

Lee took a deep breath. "At the end of this year I will leave school with you so I can be with you every step of the way. Chichi's gym has a casual position over the winter break and a job may come at the end of break. I will apply for the job and earn money to support you and our child."

Sakura's throat tightened and her gaze misted over as tears prickled. "Lee, that's… I can't ask you to do that."

"I have already made my decision." He smiled. "After all, if I say I will not get the job I will undoubtedly get it."

"Lee, that's not how it works-"

"I will be there for my blossom! Now let us go and enjoy the benefits or our youth!" He leapt up from his seat and grabbed her hand, dragging her from the tea shop. She just managed to snag the handles on both her bags and dragged them behind her. Lee noticed and used his free hand to hoist them over his shoulder, carrying them without effort. Then one of them started to slip and he let go of Sakura's hand to steady it. When he lowered his arm, he didn't take her hand again.

Was it a good sign that she was missing his touch?

o.O.o

"Ah, my son, it is good to see you and young Sakura!" Gai boomed from the back veranda. Sakura averted her eyes, her cheeks flushing red. Gai wore nothing but a pair of tight pants, leaving nothing to the imagination. Why couldn't Lee have a somewhat normal guardian?

Looking away from Gai, she felt suddenly irritated, though she didn't know where the feeling came from. She frowned and remembered that mood swings were a normal part of pregnancy. Was this a mood swing? Gai had never annoyed her before, let alone made her feel _this_ aggravated by being in his presence.

"Hey Gai," she said shortly before turning to Lee. "I'll drop my stuff off in your room. Do you mind if I use your computer?"

"Not at all," Lee replied. "I must participate in my afternoon workout with my chichi."

"We will crush them all!" Gai shouted enthusiastically, dancing up and down. Sakura tore down the hallway, ignoring the scantily-clad figure completely. Once in Lee's room, she dumped both bags and surveyed her surroundings.

Lee was a neat person by nature. His room was orderly: bed made, desk uncluttered, computer kept in good-condition, wardrobe organised by colour and season. No wonder everyone at school thought he was gay. But the room felt entirely of Lee – his personal touches, his scent, his warmth. A photo of him, Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Tenten sat proudly on his bedside table, taken last Christmas when Gai demanded they take a photo while in their holiday garb. Sakura grinned. She, Ino and Hinata were dressed as elves and Lee and Tenten were reindeers. Gai had been Santa.

Things had changed since then. Sakura pulled a small notebook and pen from her second bag and sat in front of the computer, switching it on. The password was 'Youth!' and yes, the exclamation mark was part of the password. She opened up an internet page and searched 'neutral nursery designs'. For the next hour she surfed the internet for possible layouts, as she fully intended to turn the guest room at her house into a nursery. She wrote down web addresses for designs she liked, sucking on the pen lid absent-mindedly the whole time.

Eventually Lee trooped in, smiling, and his bare chest was glistening with sweat. Again, Sakura averted her eyes from a scantily-clad body and closed the internet page, deciding to log into her school email to check for messages. Lee didn't speak and gathered some clothes before heading to his adjoining bathroom. She heard the shower start and got out of the chair, moving over to Lee's bed. As expected, the mattress was still underneath and she pulled it out. Lee had spare sheets in his wardrobe and she retrieved them, making the bed with an air of practice.

"I should do that!" Lee said from the bathroom doorway, his voice disappointed. "You are a guest and more importantly, you are pregnant."

"Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm an invalid," she said irritably, pulling her pillow from her bag. Lee, wisely, didn't reply. He'd done his own research and knew not to antagonise a pregnant female. It was downright dangerous. So he left his room, closing the door behind him. Sakura sighed. She hadn't intended to be irritable. It just sort of… happened. "Damn hormones," she muttered.

After a brief shower, Sakura pulled on her pyjamas and wound her hair in a towel, poking her head into the hallway suspiciously. Both Gai and Lee had a habit of walking around with barely any clothes on and while she knew Lee was dressed, there was no telling what Gai would be wearing.

Thankfully he had both shirt and pants on. He looked up from the stove with a toothy grin on his face. "Hello young Sakura! I trust you're able to eat a seafood curry!"

"Seafood," she murmured longingly, salivating slightly. She became aware of a beautiful aroma that filled the kitchen and joined Lee at the bench to watch Gai cook. He might be an idiot everywhere else, but in the kitchen he was a genius.

"Has Lee told you of his decision?"

"Yep."

"I'm so proud of you both! You're growing up into such mature young people and I cannot be happier!"

She tilted her head. "Are you really okay with your son leaving school to care for a child that he doesn't have to?" She grimaced. "The chichi can always choose not to become involved, but it's always harder for the hahaoya."

"Nonsense! I taught Lee to be a gentleman and he is not leaving you to carry the burden by yourself." Gai stared off into the distance, mixing the curry slowly. "You are such great friends and Lee doesn't turn his back on his friends when they need him most. You grew up with each other, remember? Such bonds cannot be ruined by a simple pregnancy. As for the child, I can't wait to be a grandpa!" He snapped back into the present and stirred more vigorously. "I'm sure your parents feel the same way."

Sakura smiled wryly. "My chichi isn't too happy about it, but he's willing to help just as long as Lee doesn't back out. If Lee _did_ back out, chichi couldn't help me anymore because he'd be in jail for murder."

"That is harsh…" Lee muttered, hanging his head.

"But my hahaoya is excited for us. She's finally warming to the idea of being a grandma." She shook her head. "I can't imagine what our friends will think of this."

"Are you telling young Ino, Hinata and Tenten?" Gai asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah. They'd notice anyway and I'd rather tell them now then have them find out later and feel betrayed. You know how all those movies end: the person keeps a secret, the others find out and hate them forever."

"You are wise beyond your years." Gai took the pot off the heat and set it in the metal sink, fetching bowls for the three of them. Sakura gratefully accepted a bowl of seafood curry and sat on the couch with Lee and Gai, waiting for them to choose a movie to watch while eating. It was a cross between _Mortal Kombat_ and _Transformers_. _Mortal Kombat_ won, which sucked because Sakura had seen that movie far too many times.

As she ate, she imagined a small crib beside the couch with a baby inside. The thought came so naturally that it surprised her.

Maybe this wasn't as terrifying as she'd first thought. She had Gai, Lee and her parents sticking with her and that had to count for something.

o.O.o

It was ten at night and Sakura was lying on her mattress, staring at the dark ceiling aimlessly. While trying to get to sleep, a huge headache had formed and her breasts had started to throb. Those were normal symptoms, she knew, but it didn't make them any more pleasant.

"Sakura?"

"Yes Lee?"

"Will our friends support us?"

She thought about it for a second. "I don't know. We can't expect them to be okay with it straight away. They'll need time. If Ino told me she was pregnant, I wouldn't believe her." A frown crossed her face as she heard rustling. "What're you doing?"

"I am guessing you have a headache."

"Yeah…"

"I put some painkillers in my drawer just in case and I have some water."

She sat up and felt around the darkness, her hand touching something warm. "Is this you?"

"That is my thigh."

Sakura was glad that it was dark so she could hide her blush. "Okay. Hand it over." She accepted the pills and water and gulped it down, pulling a face at the bland taste. "Thanks. Don't mind me if I get up in twenty minutes to go pee."

Lee chuckled and his hand touched hers in the gloom. "If you feel sick in the morning, wake me and I will assist you."

Her heart thumped. "Thanks Lee."

"You are welcome, blossom."


	6. Chapter 5

And we're back with the next chapter. Will Sakura and Lee tell their friends... or chicken out?

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 5**

Sakura did indeed wake him up before racing to the toilet. Lee faithfully stood beside her as she retched the remains of her dinner, smoothing back her hair with a gentle hand. She stayed over the toilet seat for a moment, sighing, and stood.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

Lee smiled, wishing that there was something he could do to help his cherry blossom, but there wasn't. "Anytime." He hated seeing her like this, but it was unavoidable. His child was growing _inside_ Sakura, _his_ child and not Sasuke's. A thrill of satisfaction shot through him and he was suddenly glad of the events that had transpired.

Sakura's pregnancy was an accident; the one thing they'd never thought would happen, but they weren't invincible. Yet Lee couldn't be happier. He felt that this would allow him and Sakura to grow closer in a different way and maybe she could begin to care for him like he cared for her.

To be honest, Sakura's pregnancy was the best thing that had ever happened to Lee, accident or not, and he was determined to stick with her no matter what the consequence.

They got dressed and went to the kitchen for breakfast. Lee prepared eggs on toast, then ditched the eggs because they made Sakura feel nauseous. They had jam on toast instead and then Sakura announced that she would like some almonds as well. Lee hunted for almonds and found them on the protein shelf, handing them over proudly.

Gai walked inside from his morning workout and beamed at the pair. "When shall I take you to young Hinata's house?"

"Eleven, I think," Sakura said around a mouthful of almonds. "Hey Gai, you might want to keep the mattress out. I don't know how they'll take the news and we might need to get out of there."

"A smart choice," Gai chirped. "I'll be at the gym today, so you feel free to pop in whenever you want!"

Lee nodded thoughtfully. "Our friends are not like you, chichi. They will be shocked at our confession and may not accept it as easily."

Gai looked horrified. "How could they not be happy?! I can't wait to have Rock Lee Junior running around the house!"

His words triggered a doubt in Lee's mind. How would he and Sakura take care of the baby when it was born? Would they need to move out together? Would he and Gai move in with Sakura and her parents? Would he even move in with her? He'd already made the decision to leave school with her, but there was too much to think about. Lee wasn't incredibly intelligent like Sasuke and he knew there would always be something he forgot.

Actually, a good way to get money would be to apply for government funds. The government had programs where they gave money to people in need – one such was Youth Allowance, where students attending University would get money to help pay for their textbooks and things. Maybe there was one for teenage parents… he wasn't going to let Gai, Mebuki and Kizashi pay for everything, as he knew from his research that babies were the most expensive types of humans out there. They required constant attention and an endless supply of ever-larger clothes.

Sakura's mind seemed to be running in a similar direction to his and they exchanged a look. Gai, oblivious, whipped out some cereal and poured milk into the bowl while humming. Sakura looked at the milk with distaste and Lee made a mental note to not give her milk for the next eight months.

o.O.o

"Hinata! Hi!" Lee grinned and hugged the small girl happily, his infectious smile making the normally shy girl grin too. In the hallway behind her, Lee could see her brother Neji slouched against the wall grumpily, hands in his pockets.

"I'm so glad to see you two," Hinata said happily. "Ino and Tenten are already in the lounge."

Sakura blinked. "I thought we were early."

"So are they. Come on!"

Both Lee and Sakura knew Hinata's house inside-out, as they'd been there many times before, and moved without thinking about it. Ino and Tenten waved from where they sat comfortably on the three mattresses that had been set up for the occasion. Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Tenten would sleep on the mattresses and Lee would take the couch, as usual.

He bounded forward and embraced both girls, almost falling on them. Hinata giggled at his antics and Lee didn't see the frown Sakura shot in his direction. He was just happy to see his friends, as always.

"I trust you are all well," he said immediately, holding Tenten at arms'-length. The brunette grinned and nodded.

"I had my karate grading this morning," she announced, "and I graded to blue-belt!"

"That's great!" Sakura and Lee chorused.

Ino slung her arm around her friend's shoulders. "I'm so proud of you! I know how hard you worked for that grading."

Tenten shrugged. "I've still gotta get through purple and brown before I get to black. I'm not crazy athletic like Lee so it's gonna take some time."

Hinata had snuck from the room and returned with orange juice and cups. "Would you all like a drink?" she asked. Everyone chorused their agreement and she poured out the drinks. Lee gulped his down happily and noticed that Sakura's face was a little pale. She raised the cup to her lips and took another sip, frowning.

Then she retched horribly and covered her mouth with her hand, running to the nearest sink to throw up. Lee was immediately by her side and patted her back as she coughed, eyes closed to the discomfort.

Their friends stared in confusion. Once the coughing died down, Hinata spoke. "Are you okay Sakura?"

"I'm fine," she replied softly. "I don't think that orange juice agreed with me." She washed out her mouth and straightened, letting the water clean the sink of her breakfast. Lee couldn't help but feel concerned. If she continued like this, she was bound to lose all the weight she would need for pregnancy.

"Will it be like this the whole time?" Lee hissed.

"No, I've only got a month or so before the baby starts getting bigger and my stomach settles." They re-joined their friends and continued the conversation as if nothing had happened.

They stayed in the Hyuga household until lunch. Neji cooked them yakitori on the barbecue, as their chichi, Hiashi Hyuga, was with the other Hyuga child, Hanabi Hyuga, at ballet practice. Hanabi was only in primary school and was the favoured child of the controlling Hiashi, and Lee found that while Hiashi would do anything for little Hanabi, he always maintained a disappointed air around Hinata and Neji.

Neji was older than Hinata by eleven months. He had been born in early January, with his hahaoya becoming pregnant quite quickly afterwards. Hinata was born eleven months later in late December. As a result, the two were in the same year at school, despite not being twins. Hinata sometimes wondered out loud if her hahaoya should have stopped breastfeeding so early in Neji's life, since a woman couldn't get pregnant while she breastfed. If she hadn't stopped breastfeeding, Hinata would have been born later and into the year below theirs. Not long after Hanabi was born, Hinata's hahaoya died. Hinata was the only one in their friendship group with any siblings, but she wasn't the only one that didn't have a hahaoya-like figure in her life.

Ino's chichi, Inoichi, was a proud, hard-working man who did everything he could to provide for his little girl. His wife, Ino's hahaoya, had died when Ino was six and although Inoichi did his best, there were always situations where the blonde girl needed her hahaoya. That's where her friends came in. They acted as her support and were the major female influences on her life, as they'd been friends for close to twelve years. Lee still remembered Ino on the day her hahaoya died in an accident. The blonde girl had been heartbroken and her little six-year-old friends had cheered her up and made her realise that her hahaoya would want Ino to be happy. Since that day, the five friends held Ino's hahaoya in a state of reverence.

Now Tenten had a lack of a chichi-like figure. She'd never known her parents and lived in a foster home for the first few years of her life. When she turned three, she was taken in by an older couple. Tenten wasn't bothered that her 'parents' were both women and took it in her stride, wanting nothing more than to make them proud. Both hahaoyas loved their adopted daughter and were always happy for Tenten to invite her friends over. Lee thought they were the sweetest ladies.

Sakura was the only one with both her parents. Hinata had a chichi, brother and sister, but no hahaoya. Ino had a chichi but not a hahaoya. Lee had an adopted chichi and Tenten had two adopted hahaoyas. They were quite a diverse group.

After lunch, they decided to go to the local park and get ice-cream and play with a soccer ball Tenten had brought. Even Neji decided to go with them, much to Lee's surprise. He'd always found Hinata's older brother to be… well, to be a jerk. Yet Neji walked calmly between Lee and Tenten, just behind the other three girls.

They reached the park easily and it wasn't busy. Ino chose the edge of the grassy area, right next to a tree line, to play. They were just kicking or throwing the ball to each other without any competition. Neji joined in, but he didn't smile or look like he was having fun. The Hyuga was hard to read. His presence seemed to disconcert Hinata and she was very quiet. Eventually Lee couldn't take the awkwardness and crossed to Neji, a frown on his face.

"Why are you here?" he asked quietly. "Your presence is making Hinata uncomfortable."

"I'm bored," the long-haired boy state bluntly. "My friends are busy. I've got no study. I have no job yet. I'm tired and I just want to try and have fun." He grimaced. "I don't know if it's succeeding or not."

Lee nodded. "You should try and smile!"

Neji sighed and let his gaze wander over the four girls, settling on Tenten. "Has Tenten always been this loud? She's so quiet whenever I see her."

"She is like a flower. She blooms when she chooses and when she is comfortable with her surroundings." Lee grinned as he realized that he was describing Sakura. "School has never been her favourite place and she always loves to spend time with us. I understand her need, as I am also an only-child. Why the sudden curiosity?"

The Hyuga shrugged. "I've never really hung out with Hinata's friends before. I have my own. To be honest, I always hated how loud you guys where whenever you were over, so I locked myself away." His gaze rested on Tenten again. "It might be-"

Whatever he was going to say was interrupted when there was a sudden cry and Sakura covered her stomach with her arms, eyes wide. Lee froze as the ball bounced away from her, back towards a confused Ino.

"What's up?" Ino asked. "It just hit your chest. We're all girls here."

Sakura shook her head soundlessly and bolted behind the nearest tree, drawing her legs up to her chest to protect her stomach. As she wrapped her arms around her legs, Lee was galvanised into action and darted over to her, skidding to a stop beside her and throwing his arm around his blossom's shoulders.

"Where were you hit?" he asked quietly.

"The chest," she replied softly. "I just… what if that was my stomach? What could have happened?"

"It did not happen." He squeezed her shoulders in support and understanding. "Remain here. I will explain." Lee stood and faced her concerned friends and Neji, smiling. "Sakura was just worried that the ball could hit her stomach next, and as you know she is sick so that could be disastrous."

"I'd rather watch," Sakura called softly. "I'm sorry guys."

"It's alright," Ino replied immediately. "We understand." She narrowed her eyes at the others. "Don't we?"

"Yes," they chorused, nodding empathetically.

o.O.o

It was now late into the night and the house was asleep. Hiashi and Hanabi were both in bed and Neji was doing whatever. The five friends were awake in the lounge room, the room lit by a few lanterns.

"I think now is the time we share our information," Tenten whispered. "Ino, you go first."

"Okay." Ino wriggled on the mattress and grinned, her blush unseen in the dim light. "Well I like someone and he's not super-hot or popular, can you believe it?"

"It's Choji, isn't it?" Sakura asked calmly.

Ino looked crestfallen. "How did you guess?"

"You made it pretty obvious by the way you blushed every time he was around."

"Well yes. I like Choji. He's not amazingly hot, but I think his personality makes him _incredibly_ attractive. He's so kind and friendly and he always offers me some chips. You know I like a man with an appetite. That's one of the reasons it didn't work out with Shikamaru. He didn't eat much." She chuckled. "Wow, it seems I'm going to date both sons of my chichi's friends."

At Ino's confession and declaration, Sakura's mind flicked straight to Lee. If Ino could like someone for his personality alone, why couldn't she? Why couldn't she like Lee? He had the best personality and it made up for his lack of attractiveness, so he looked cute instead of undesirable. Tenten started speaking and Sakura shook her head, focusing her attention on her friend.

"I think that Choji would be the biggest idiot if he didn't notice you," the brunette declared. "You're smart and pretty and you have everything going for you."

"That's why he probably won't notice me," Ino pointed out. "He's so humble that he'll think I'm too good for him. I know the type." She shifted her attention to the quiet Hinata. "So dearest Hinata, I believe you've made progress in talking to Kiba. Do share."

Sometimes, Sakura reflected, a gossip circle could be really immature. Were her friends really _that_ focused on boys and crushes? They honestly didn't understand anything about the real world, but they were teenagers. Let them have their ignorance for a while longer. Sakura's hand ghosted over her belly and she glanced over at where Lee sat, eyes riveted on Hinata as she began to speak.

"He talked to me," the black-haired girl murmured. "He asked how my holiday was and how my day was going. He asked if I spent my holidays hanging out with my boyfriend and I told him I didn't have one."

"That means he wants to know if you're single or not," Tenten hissed.

Hinata shot Tenten an evil grin. "I know what it means. Now why don't you tell everyone of the crush you have on my brother?"

Tenten stared in horror. "Hinata! I told you that in the strictest of confidence."

Ino nudged her friend and grinned. "Come on, tell us tell us!"

"I like him. That's it. We were partnered for a science project earlier this year and I saw how brilliant he was and yeah. Sakura's turn." She successfully diverted everyone's attention to the pink-haired girl. Sakura shifted.

"Well?" Ino asked. "Do you have any news? Any new crushes?"

"I have news…" Sakura said slowly. This was it. She'd spent the entire day agonising over how to tell her friends of her pregnancy. While her parents had quickly accepted it, her friends would take longer to come to terms with it. After all, she wasn't showing any physical signs or growth yet.

"Do tell," Tenten said slyly. They obviously thought she was going to tell them of a new crush or something equally pointless. Boy, were they in for a surprise.

"Brace yourself," she warned. "This is news you're not expecting. It'll shock you."

"I think we can handle it," Ino said confidently.

"You asked for it." She brushed her hair behind her ears and looked down at her feet, hesitating.

"Just say it," Ino sighed. Fine. She'd say it. Sakura took another deep breath and raised her head, meeting Lee's eyes before looking back down again.

"I'm pregnant."

o.O.o

Curled up in the hallway outside the lounge room, Neji froze.

Earlier in the day he'd told the truth. He was bored and in need of something to do, so at around midnight he decided to listen in to his sister's conversation with her friends. First, he learned that Ino had a crush on his friend Choji. Then he heard that Hinata was gathering the courage to ask Kiba out. Neji made a mental note to warn Kiba against dating his sister. It wasn't happening, not on his watch.

Then, to his surprise, Tenten had a crush on him. It wasn't what he was expecting. But she was different to other girls like Ino and Sakura, as she was tomboyish and unafraid to push herself in HPE class. As she said it, he remembered the science project. He was unaware that he'd made such an impression on her.

But after all that, the surprises weren't done.

Neji crawled silently to his room as the conversation continued, his mind reeling from the information. He closed his bedroom door and grabbed his phone, dialling a number by heart. It was answered after three rings.

 _"_ _What?"_ came Sasuke's irritated voice.

"Sasuke, did you and Sakura ever do it?" Neji asked urgently. There was a pause.

 _"_ _No. Why?"_

"She's-" He cut off immediately, reason registering in his brain. Sakura had confided in her friends. She certainly hadn't told Neji anything and he doubted she'd be very pleased if he blabbed her secret to whoever could listen. It might be best to let it go for now. He'd talk to Hinata in the morning.

 _"_ _Hello, Neji? She's what?"_

"Never mind. I'm sorry to bother you. Good night." He hung up immediately and turned off his phone, knowing that Sasuke would undoubtedly call him back a few times.

Neji threw himself on his bed and sighed. Thinking about what he'd heard, he was struck by a sudden thought. If Sakura and Sasuke had never slept together, then who was the chichi?


	7. Chapter 6

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 6**

"Would anyone like more pancakes?" Hinata asked from the stove, where the frying pan and jug of pancake mixture rested.

"No thanks," Ino and Sakura chorused.

"Yes please," Tenten and Lee chorused. Neji said nothing.

Silence had greeted Sakura's confession for several long minutes. The pink-haired girl had absolutely dreaded the questioning and suddenly felt very tired. Hinata had saved her by suggesting that they go to sleep and leave the questions for the morning. Everyone silently complied and Sakura felt them shifting away from her before they fell asleep. Lee's hand had snuck down from the couch to stroke her hair and she drew strength from his support. If her friends weren't willing to accept her pregnancy, at least he did.

Neji broke the silence. "Hinata, can I talk to you?"

She placed the spatula on the bench and glanced at Tenten. "Can you watch this for me?" The brunette nodded and the siblings retreated up the hallway for their discussion. Sakura kept her eyes on her empty plate, fearing possible rejection, and even though stress was bad for the baby she couldn't help but worry. Teenage pregnancy was a big thing in modern society and it was less common for the parents to want to keep the child, as teenagers were normally unequipped for parenthood. And because most guys fled when they learned they were going to be a chichi. When that happened, abortion was the easy way out.

Hinata and Neji walked back into the kitchen, grim expressions on their faces. Tenten stepped away from the stove and leant against the nearest bench casually. Sakura could sense that the questioning was near. At least Hiashi was at work and Hanabi was in her room, that way they didn't have to worry about being overheard.

As Hinata picked up the spatula, she glanced quickly at Sakura. "Neji knows. He heard."

Sakura paled and widened her eyes at the boy. "Will you…?"

"Hinata told me not to tell. It's not mine to tell." He moved around the kitchen bench to sit on one of the four stools, the others taken up by Sakura, Lee and Ino.

Tenten cast her eyes around the others. "I guess no one else is gonna ask the question. How far along are you?"

Sakura clasped her hands together and breathed deeply. "One month."

Ino asked the question that Sakura feared the most. "Who's the chichi?" When Sakura opened her mouth to speak, the blonde continued. "Is it Sasuke?"

"No," Sakura replied quickly. "We never… well, we didn't go that far."

"Then who's the chichi?" Ino pressed. Sakura's voice stuck in her throat and her belly pulsed with fear and uncertainty. Why did she think she could do this? This was terrifying!

Lee stood, his stool clattering to the floor with his sudden movement. "I am the chichi," he announced.

Stares greeted his outburst until Neji spoke. "I'm assuming that since you're telling us this, it means that you're keeping the baby." All eyes turned to him and he shrugged. "What? If they were going to abort it they wouldn't bother telling us."

"They're not telling you," Ino said, her voice raised in unexpected anger. "You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And if you even _think_ of telling anyone I will-"

"Ino, I've already warned him," Hinata cut in. Lee was looking around at them in confusion.

"Please, do not shy away. Sakura and I need to know your thoughts."

Ino stood and held out her hand. "Well I congratulate you. It's a brave thing. I always thought there was something more between you. You make a cute couple."

Sakura shook her head, feeling suddenly guilty. "We're not actually a couple." _Yet_. She let the unsaid word ring clear for everyone to register, so they knew there was potential. Nevertheless, she enveloped Ino in a grateful hug after Lee shook the blonde's hand.

Tenten stood and tugged at the hem of her pyjama top awkwardly, inviting closer scrutiny. "Sakura… Lee… you can't expect me to be okay with this right away. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you, but it's so unexpected."

"I don't expect you to get it," Sakura said immediately. She sat back on her stool and laid her hands palm-down on the counter. "Please understand that this is very hard for us. Lee and I plan to leave school at the end of this year, though we might continue our education later. Guys… we can't do this without support. My parents and Gai will help us, but we _need_ you. Our baby will need some aunties to fawn over him or her. I know it's selfish, but please don't turn your back."

"It's not selfish of you," Hinata said quietly. "You and Lee are the ones who are making sacrifices, not us. I really admire your courage, both of you. I couldn't ask for better friends."

Even Tenten was nodding slowly. "I think I'm understanding. But _Lee_ ," she turned to the boy in question, "when the hell did this happen?"

Lee answered immediately. "It was just after Sasuke broke up with her."

Neji had been silent for a while, but he finally murmured, "I called up and almost told him last night. He's going to be asking questions."

Sakura looked at Lee, who smiled sweetly and reached across the counter to take her hand. "The information is ours to share, me and Lee. But," she said deviously, "I do admit I'd like for people to find out when I'm well and truly pregnant. Their faces would be hilarious!"

o.O.o

After leaving Hinata's house after lunch, Sakura and Lee wandered to the nearby park and sat on one of the benches, tucking their bags under their legs. A concrete path ran all throughout the park, lined at some places by bushes and trees. More trees dotted the entire block, with a rather thick collection off to one side. At the moment, Sakura and Lee were in a secluded spot, away from prying eyes.

"So," she said quietly, "we've told our parents and friends. Where do we go from here?"

"We will focus on maintaining the health of you and the baby," Lee replied determinedly. Sakura saw the truth in his statement, as she wasn't feeling so well. The constant vomiting was taking its toll and she hadn't been eating as much as she should. She was pale and weak and her eyes were set in sockets of black, easily revealing her difficulties sleeping. Lee was lucky, she mused, to not have to worry about everything she did.

"How did it come to this?" she murmured. Lee looked at her strangely.

"We spent the night together and are dealing with the consequences by being brave."

"Is that what the baby is? A consequence?"

"No! Truthfully, I could not think of a better word. I will find one when I get home."

"Lee," her voice was strained, "why are you staying?"

He stilled, considering her words. "I am staying because you are my friend, Sakura, and I do not abandon my friends when they need me most. And because I wish to be a part of our child's life. Do you expect me to wake up one morning and turn my back? I made a commitment and I will not break it. I am in this just as much as you are, because I-" When he didn't continue, Sakura glanced at him and saw a blush on his cheeks.

"Most other boys would up and run." She placed her hand on the bench, in the space between them. "I'm glad that you're the chichi and I'm sorry for wrecking your life this way."

"You have not wrecked my life. You have made it better." He covered her hand with his and the pair sat there comfortably, watching the world around them move past.

o.O.o

Sakura and Lee had been the first to leave Hinata's, heading off together. Ino had left shortly after and Tenten was still there, as both her hahaoyas were unavailable until mid-afternoon.

It was still hard to believe that Sakura was pregnant. She didn't _look_ pregnant, Tenten thought, but there had been signs, like when she'd thrown up in the kitchen sink and when she'd freaked out after the ball hit her in the chest. Plus, she'd been incredibly distant for the last month for seemingly no reason, talking to no one but Lee. Now Tenten knew why.

She had to commend both teenagers for their bravery. A baby was a big job and they were effectively halting their lives to care for it. That took guts. Especially for Lee, as he had the opportunity to back out and want nothing to do with the child, but he'd stayed. It spoke wonders about his character. Tenten knew he would have stayed no matter what, given that he was in love with Sakura. It seemed that everyone but the girl in question knew of his feelings, and the fact that he'd never forced them on her was remarkable.

"Sakura sure is lucky," the brunette murmured quietly, reclining on the couch.

"They're both lucky," came Neji's voice from across the room. Tenten stiffened but didn't turn around. The last thing she wanted was to face Neji, because what if he'd heard her last night?

"Yep," she said with a hint of finality in her voice, trying to avoid conversation.

To her chagrin, Neji joined her on the couch, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. "What they're doing is brave, real brave. I envy them for their confidence."

Despite herself, Tenten snorted. "How can someone in that situation be confident? I'd be terrified out of my wits!"

"Then it's good you're not in that situation."

She turned her head to glare at him. "Are you making fun of me?"

"No. I'm just trying to engage you in conversation so I can get to know you better."

Tenten cursed silently, her suspicions aroused. Neji had obviously heard her last night and was trying to discern if he was interested or not. Well, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She stood and rushed from the lounge, grinning from ear-to-ear. Hinata was in her room when Tenten entered, folding clothes and placing them in her dresser.

"What happened?" Hinata asked in confusion.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure your brother knows I have a crush on him."

Hinata didn't look surprised. "He told me that he heard everything, even about Kiba, and threatened to beat up Kiba if he hurt me. And he said that Choji likes Ino so she has nothing to worry about, and he was not expecting you to have a crush on him. He probably thinks that liking your friend's sibling is weird."

"He is very weird."

"I know. He's bipolar on the best of days, and mostly grumpy. He just misses attention from chichi."

Tenten hesitated. "Are you sure he won't tell about Sakura and Lee?"

"I'm sure," Hinata said confidently. "He knows he shouldn't've heard it and that Sakura and Lee decide who to tell."

Now Tenten asked the question that had been bugging her all morning. "Lee has feelings for Sakura, right?"

"Yes. It's fairly obvious."

"He told me when we started high school. But do you think they'll become a couple? I don't see it happening with the way Sakura's acting. It's like she doesn't even want to try and be with Lee."

"No, I think she's trying. It's just hard to have romantic thoughts about a person you've always seen as a friend."

"Like you and Kiba."

"Like me and Kiba. Just give them time and they'll come around. Lee isn't one to lie and if she asks, he'll tell the truth."

"Hopefully." Tenten shuddered. "I'm just glad that Lee's the chichi and not Sasuke. I'd hate for Sakura to be shacked up with a gay guy who can never love her back."


	8. Chapter 7

Apologies for the delay, but Christmas is coming and I'm sure everyone is being swamped with present-buying and other various chores. Best wishes to you all and happy holidays!

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 7**

Sakura froze over her toast, almonds pieces peppering the skin around her mouth. She lurched backwards drunkenly and raced around the kitchen bench to the sink, where she promptly threw up her food again. Kizashi rushed to her side, concern written on his face, but she waved him away.

"I'm okay chichi," she said softly, spitting into the sink.

"You're not okay. You're throwing up everything you eat! How do you expect me to be okay with that?!"

"Just… I'll be okay when the first trimester is over. The first is the worst." She washed out her mouth and straightened, smiling at her chichi. "I _will_ be okay. I promise. Now I have to get to school. It's the last day before winter break and I want to enjoy my final day of school."

Kizashi hesitated and glanced down at Sakura's stomach, noting how he could now see a faint outline through her school blouse. "I love you sweetie." He enveloped her in his arms and she fell into his embrace, glad that Kizashi supported her pregnancy.

There was a knock on the front door and Kizashi answered, allowing Sakura to finish her breakfast. Lee came through the door with Gai in tow.

"Good morning Sakura!" chorused the chichi- and grandpa-to-be.

"Morning Lee. Morning Gai." She gulped down the final mouthful of her toast. "Just give me a second to brush my teeth."

Since learning of her pregnancy, Gai had taken to picking Sakura up on his way to drop Lee off at school. It was good of him and it meant that her parents were released from the stress of getting her to school. After today, they wouldn't have to worry about it for a while.

The last two months of school had been brutal. Sakura had to pay attention to her studies as well as dealing with her growing pregnancy. She could now see physical signs that the baby was growing inside her, as her stomach had begun to expand slightly since the baby's organs were beginning to form. It was easy to hide beneath her blouse but she was constantly worried that someone would notice and guess the cause. It hadn't happened, to her relief, and she'd been able to sit her final exams in peace. Granted, she'd run off to the bathroom once during her Humanities exam, and once during her Literacy presentation, but she was confident she'd passed each subject. Her results wouldn't be as high as they normally were, but she had an excuse.

She'd also created a clever way of teaching herself about pregnancy. One of her subjects was called Independent Learning Project (ILP) and students could do whatever they wanted in the class, as long as they had an end result. For her final term Sakura decided to do a presentation on the stages of pregnancy and child rearing, more to help herself than anyone else. It was the only subject that she achieved high marks on, as she worked incredibly hard to make the presentation as accurate as possible. Lee was in that class and had paid rapt attention, taking everything into account. He'd also received high marks, writing a journal on physical fitness.

Sakura pulled on a jumper, shouldered her school bag and joined Gai and Lee in the lounge room. Gai was chatting Kizashi's ear off but Kizashi didn't care. He merely hugged his daughter again and waved as she, Gai and Lee went outside to the car.

"We made it," Lee said, opening the car door and allowing Sakura to climb in first. "We have survived our final term of school."

Sakura still felt bad that Lee was leaving school and forfeiting his chance at an education, but she was secretly glad that he was sticking with her. It was selfish, she knew, but it was Lee's choice. He'd nailed the job at the gym and was starting on Monday, three days away. He was nervous because there was a lot riding on the job.

"Are you still able to make it to the ultrasound tomorrow?" Sakura asked.

"I would not miss it for the world," Lee said warmly. "I will be able to see our child for the first time!"

Guilt panged through Sakura as he said 'our child'. It was her fault that this was happening and she would continue to feel guilty until she could feel _any_ romantic notions towards Lee. "Okay. Just checking."

When they pulled up outside the school gates, Lee got out first and held the door open for Sakura gallantly. Something fluttered in her stomach; not romance, but appreciation. Baby steps, she told herself, grinning at the irony.

"Enjoy your final day, my youthful children!" Gai shouted out the window. They waved as he drove off, heading for work.

"Let's dive into the hoard one last time," Sakura sighed, heading through the gates and ducking her head as snow peppered down. Lee walked beside her and they wound around groups of excited students, all eager for school to finish and the holidays to begin. Sakura stared at everyone she passed, wondering how many of them would notice next year that she and Lee were gone. Probably the minority, she thought savagely. The surge of anger always came as a surprise but it was a normal part of pregnancy.

Ino, Hinata and Tenten were already in the Art room, gossiping about their plans for the holidays. Hinata was spending Christmas with her entire extended family, which she wasn't happy about, but her family was big on those kinds of events. Ino was going skiing with her chichi and his friends, Chouza Akimichi and Shikaku Nara. By some odd twist of fate, they were the chichis' of Choji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara, which meant Ino had a week to spend with Choji and possibly ask him out. Tenten would be working, but she'd made plans to hang out with Hinata.

"Hey guys," Tenten greeted. "You pumped for the last day?"

"And the ultrasound tomorrow?" Hinata added. "You have to call and tell me the gender!"

"I hope it's a girl. I've always wanted a niece," Ino enthused.

"And if it's a boy?" Sakura sked slyly.

"Then I'll have a nephew!"

Now that they were past their initial shock, her friends were becoming really enthusiastic about the baby on the way. It warmed Sakura's heart to know that they were happy for her and she hoped that their support would last until after her child was born.

Laughing, she changed the topic easily. "I notice that it's the last day of term and none of you have asked out your crushes!"

"I'm letting Kiba ask me," Hinata said bluntly. "Thanks to some help from my dear brother, he knows I like him."

"I plan to ask out Choji when we're skiing."

"And I want to see if Neji has guts or not."

The bell rang before Sakura could reply and she and Lee headed straight for HPE. The teacher, Anko Mitarashi, came bounding into the gym excitedly, causing her class to back away nervously.

"Good morning!" she cried. "It's the last day! Are you excited? I'll bet you're excited! Since I'm feeling nice today, I think we'll have a game of dodgeball!"

Without being told, Sakura moved to the edge of the gym and sat cross-legged. Her parents, as a precaution, had informed the school of her condition, resulting in the teachers accepting her regular dashes to the bathroom and enabling her to sit out of any physical activity. Sakura told any student that asked that she had a bad stomach bug from eating foreign food while on autumn break. No one was the wiser.

She spent the entire class watching Lee throw balls at the other students. He was never hit, not once, and he pegged quite a few well-aimed balls in Sasuke's direction, which the Uchiha ducked easily. Most of the time.

The bell blared and Sakura and Lee went straight to Science, where Orochimaru spent the lesson teaching them how to make chemicals explode.

o.O.o

Hinata and Tenten sat together for Literacy with Kurenai Yuhi. The kind teacher had organised several games for the class to play, like Hangman and Celebrity Heads. Everyone had had quite a few laughs, especially when Shikamaru found out he was labelled John Lennon.

Kurenai was Hinata's favourite teacher, becoming the hahaoya-figure that the young girl lacked. She was also the only teacher to talk freely with Sakura's friends about the girl's pregnancy, offering tips and advice, as she herself had recently given birth. There was no woman in the world that Hinata loved more.

Choji waved at the pair, grinning. "Tenten! Come on up! I have a good name for you!"

The energetic girl bounded up to the board, sat down, and Choji wrote 'Jet Li' above her head. A chuckle ran around the entire room, Hinata grinning as Tenten began to ask her questions.

"Hey Hinata."

She turned and blushed as Kiba took the seat beside her. He was one of the sweetest boys she'd ever known, with a clear perspective on things and a calm personality. It didn't help that he was stupidly handsome and completely oblivious to the fact.

"Morning Kiba," she smiled, forcing herself to calm down. It wouldn't do any good to start stuttering like a fool.

"Uh, I'm working on this project during the holidays… it's a kennel for Akamaru." Akamaru was his dog. "I've seen your skills in our Manufacturing class and I'm wondering if you'd like to help me design it? I want it to be the best kennel Akamaru ever had!"

Foreseeing possibly _hours_ in Kiba's company, Hinata bowed her head and smiled shyly. She'd known that Manufacturing classes were a good idea. "I'd be honoured. When are you starting?"

"I'm thinking the beginning of next week. What days are you free?"

"Pretty much every day, unless I'm with my friends."

"Great! I'll give you my number and you can tell me the days you're unavailable and we can work on the kennel when you're free." They took out their phones and traded numbers, Kiba grinning and Hinata's heart beating at a hundred miles per hour. She had Kiba's number! They were making progress and she suspected that the kennel was a cover for spending time together. It looked like he was taking the initiative like an old-fashioned gentleman.

"I guess we'll talk then," she said hesitantly, praying she didn't embarrass herself (but she probably would). Kiba grinned and tucked his phone in his pocket as he wandered back to sit with Naruto.

Tenten ran back and collapsed in her seat, laughing hysterically. "Oh, that Choji!" she cried with mirth. "He's funny!"

"You were Jet Li," Hinata agreed, beaming. "I think I might have a go."

Tenten gaped. "But you never have a go! Who are you and what have you done with Hinata?"

"It's me," Hinata giggled.

"Then what's up?"

The black-haired girl grinned. "Kiba as good as asked me out."

o.O.o

After a normal brunch, Sakura, Ino and Hinata went to Art while Lee and Tenten went to the gym for Outdoor Education. The three girls sat in their usual seats and cried with delight as the teacher, Kurenai, told the class to fetch a small square canvas and paint whatever they wanted.

"What are you going to paint?" Ino asked, squeezing some white paint onto a pallet.

"I'm thinking of an outer drawing of the kennel me and Kiba are making," Hinata answered, running a pencil lightly over the canvas. "You?"

Ino held up her phone, where an image of snowy mountains was visible. "This. It's like the mountain I'll be skiing down on Christmas."

Sakura stared at the canvas in front of her, barely bigger than both her palms put together. What would she paint? She wanted to do something for Lee, but she didn't know what…

Then she had it. Smiling, she fetched the green paint and used impressionism to create her vision.

o.O.o

Sakura managed to finish her painting before class finished and put it in the rack to dry. When the bell blared she gathered her books and went to her Humanities class, meeting up with Lee on the way.

"How was class?" she asked. "I'll bet you didn't do much since it's snowing."

Lee grabbed her books, lightning fast, and placed them on his own, walking as if the weight in his arms hadn't doubled. "We did yoga," he said in a small voice, blushing.

"Yoga?" She stifled a giggle. "And was it fun?"

"No… It was too slow…"

This time she didn't bother to hide it and laughed out loud, holding her stomach as her chortles echoed along the corridor. Sasuke, walking not far behind them, smiled slightly.

"Oh Lee," she gasped, "you're hilarious!" And he honestly was. No one made her laugh as much as he did because he was just adorable.

She sobered immediately. Did she just think Lee was… adorable? Maybe they were getting somewhere.

"Are you alright?" Lee asked quietly, noting her sudden quiet.

"Yeah, just felt a bit sick," she lied. He nodded and moved aside so she could enter the classroom first, following behind her. Lee took his usual seat and waited expectantly for Sakura to move beside him. She touched his shoulder gently and moved to the back of the room, stopping in front of Naruto, who looked at her with his usual smile gracing his features.

"Hey Naruto. How are you?"

"I'm good," the blonde said warmly. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. Any plans for the holidays?"

"Um… well Sasuke invited me to join his family for Christmas." He blushed and his face fell, as he probably thought of his own deceased parents.

Sakura smiled gently and reached back, patting his hand. "You're a lucky boy. I hope you have a good one."

"Thanks!" he brightened considerably.

She turned to go, then glanced back. "And Naruto, I'm not annoyed with you for dating Sasuke. I'm glad you're happy."

Blushing, he held out his hand. "I guess I've kinda been avoiding you…"

She shook his outstretched hand and smiled. "You don't have to."

Sasuke walked up behind her, smiling at the scene. "Well I'm glad you two are okay now. Naruto's been agonising over the whole situation for months."

"No need to be so dramatic," Sakura chuckled, "and the same goes for you, Sasuke."

The raven raised his hands in mock-offence. "Sure thing. I've already apologised, remember?"

She was saved from replying by the bell, after which she scurried back to her seat as Zabuza swept into the room, bringing his pleasure along in waves. As today was the last time he'd be teaching for the year, it was no wonder why he was happy. Either that or he'd gotten lucky. Everyone knew about the nineteen-year-old boy their thirty-year-old teacher was seeing; his name was Haku and he was often seen with Zabuza outside of school. Not a good example to set for students.

Zabuza set up his laptop and called over his shoulder, "we're watching a movie this lesson! So shut up and pay attention!"

The movie in question: _The Count of Monte Cristo_. Even though they only watched forty minutes of the movie, it was enough to pique Sakura's interest and she filed the movie away for a later viewing.

o.O.o

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Lunch was quiet, with the group discussing her pregnancy and their plans for taking care of the baby. In Literacy, the teacher, Kakashi Hatake, let them talk among themselves for the forty-five minutes, while the Numeracy teacher, Iruka Umino, performed the traditional Japanese tea ceremony to wish his class well until he saw them next year.

When school ended, Sakura packed up all her books and protested as Lee shouldered her bulging schoolbag along with his own. Since it was clear that he wouldn't hand it back over, she shrugged and made him wait at his locker while she fetched something from the Art room. That something was the painting, which, as it was now dry, she wrapped in newspaper so Lee wouldn't see the contents.

"What is it?" he asked curiously, glancing at the package in her hands.

"It's something I made," she grinned, "but it's a surprise for everyone, so don't ask!"

They made their way outside and stared as snow fell heavily. Everything seemed eerily quiet and uncomfortably chilly and Sakura let out an involuntary shiver. Lee, seeing her cold, unwrapped his hoodie from around his waist and draped it over her shoulders kindly. She huddled into it, smiling up at him gratefully. He really was thoughtful, but he had to be cold himself. If she needed two jumpers then so would he. Then again… he was a boy and boys had this weird thing where they weren't bothered by cold.

They wandered through the school car-park, their heads ducked against the falling snow, and spotted Gai's car parked nearby. As they reached the waving man, Sakura turned back and watched the school gates for a second. This would be the last time she'd see these gates for a while, she realised. After today she wasn't coming back.


	9. Chapter 8

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! And that you all embrace the New Year to come. It's an exciting time because this year's just flown past and we're getting ready for a new chapter in our lives.

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 8**

"Are you sure you want to come in, Lee?" Mebuki asked, clutching her handbag in a death-grip. She walked woodenly up the hospital corridor, Sakura and Lee in tow, to the door they'd been instructed to find.

"Of course," Lee answered immediately, nodding. "I would not miss it."

Mebuki stopped suddenly, seeing the door they were looking for. She cautiously nudged it open and stuck her head inside, noting the equipment inside, and stepped aside to allow the parents-to-be to enter first. Both teenagers slipped inside and Sakura laid down on the bed in the very middle of the room. Lee took the chair right next to her and held her hand supportively. It felt nice to have him there with her and his touch made her breath hitch, though she didn't realise.

A doctor came through a door they hadn't noticed, smile in place and medical file in hand. She was very plain-looking, Sakura thought, but she carried herself with an air of confidence.

"Good morning," she greeted warmly, her eyes flicking to Lee and Sakura's joined hands. "My name is Doctor Rin Nohara and I'll be keeping check of your progress during your pregnancy."

"Hi, I'm Sakura," she said in a small voice, her throat constricting over the words. She couldn't help but feel incredibly awkward as the doctor obviously took stock of her youth and the boy beside her.

"I'm Mebuki, Sakura's hahaoya," Mebuki said, standing and shaking Rin's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. And this is?"

"I am Rock Lee," Lee said, standing and releasing Sakura's hand so he could shake Rin's. Then he sat back down and wrapped his warm hand around Sakura's again. She took a deep breath and tried to relax.

Rin switched on one of the computers and sat down behind it, flicking through the file in her hand. "I believe you are currently twelve weeks pregnant, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"And this is your first ultrasound?"

"Yes." That one came out more like a squeak.

Rin smiled. "Don't worry Sakura, this a normal routine examination. You file also says you have undergone surgery to your lower abdomen?"

"Yes, I had my appendix removed a few years ago."

Rin nodded. "That should not pose any problems. I'll need you to lift up your shirt to expose your belly." Sakura did as instructed and Rin snapped on a pair of clear plastic gloves. "Have you had an ultrasound before?"

"Yeah, before I got my appendix out."

"Excellent. The gel hasn't gotten any warmer. Did you have the six cups of water before coming in?"

"Yes." Sakura grinned at Lee then, since he'd basically placed six cups in front of her and ordered her to drink all six. It had been a challenge. She laid down and rested her head on a pillow, switching her gaze to the computer screen that would show her insides. Lee squeezed her hand and she felt relieved that he was there with her. His support gave her strength.

Rin squeezed some gel onto Sakura's stomach and the girl pursed her lips as the cold touched her skin, wondering why they couldn't make a warmer one. Once the gel was smeared between her hips, Rin picked up the scanner, which looked suspiciously like the ones used at the supermarket to scan barcodes, and pressed it to Sakura's stomach. Immediately the computer screen flared to life with different tones of black, grey and white, constantly stirring as Rin moved the scanner.

"This is your womb," the doctor explained, using her free hand to point out the area, "and this is your baby." She tapped the keyboard and the image zoomed in on a fuzzy, rounded shape.

"I can't see anything…" Sakura said slowly.

"Doctors are trained specially to be able to see these kinds of things," Mebuki said quietly. "That's what my doctor said during my ultrasound with you."

"Your hahaoya is right," Rin nodded. "From where I'm sitting, I can tell you that everything seems to be in order." She wrote something on Sakura's file and tapped the keyboard a few times. A soft thumping noise came from the computer, each beat seemingly quicker than the last, and Lee gasped, his eyes widening.

"Is that its heartbeat?" he asked, awestruck.

"Yes." Rin looked pleased. "You have a very healthy baby, as far as I can tell. Would you like me to see if I can determine the gender?"

"Yes please," Sakura and Lee chorused, tightening their grip.

"I can't promise anything." Rin moved the scanner slowly, her eyes glued to the screen, and Sakura held her breath nervously, wondering how Lee was feeling. Rin chuckled and looked up at the expectant parents. "I can tell you now that in twenty-four weeks, you'll be welcoming a beautiful baby girl into the world."

"A girl?" the trio gasped.

"Yes, a girl."

o.O.o

Sakura didn't remember walking out of the hospital with Mebuki and Lee. All she could think about was how real her pregnancy had become. Her baby wasn't an _it_ anymore, it was a _she_ and _she_ really existed. 'Pregnant' wasn't just a word anymore… it was really happening. Maybe after the second trimester her baby would look less like a blob and more like an actual baby.

No, not her baby. Their baby. Sakura and Lee were floating, not walking, huge smiles on their faces and dazed expressions. Both teenagers were on cloud nine as reality kicked in that they were actually going to be parents. They had the pictures of the ultrasound to prove it, which Mebuki had tucked in her handbag for later viewing by Kizashi and Gai.

They got to the car and Mebuki unlocked the back door for the pair. "Are you going to call your friends?" she asked, closing the door behind Lee.

"Oh yeah," Sakura murmured vaguely, patting her pockets absent-mindedly. Once she held her phone, she pinched the bridge of her nose to focus, effectively ending her daze. She tapped her contacts app and scrolled down the list until she found Ino's number, selecting it.

Ino picked up after three rings. _"Sakura, please tell me you have good news! I'm so bored!"_

"It's a girl."

There was a long pause. _"Oh my God! That's awesome! I'm gonna have a niece!"_

"Don't announced it to the whole world, alright?"

 _"_ _I'm home alone. Who'll hear me? I take it that the scan went well?"_

"Yep. Everything's good and the doctor said she's healthy."

Ino laughed. _"I still can't believe you're going to be a hahaoya. I mean, you're my age."_

"Me neither, but it's happening. I think I'm actually starting to look forward to parenthood."

 _"_ _I wouldn't. I'm happy for you guys, really. You feel like hanging out next week?"_

"Sure, maybe, it depends if I'm still chucking up. I haven't yet today, so I'm hopeful. Now I have to call the others."

 _"_ _Tenten's over at Hinata's I'm pretty sure. Something about clothes?"_

"Thanks Ino. I'll see you soon."

 _"_ _Bye! Call me later!"_

Sakura hung up and smiled at Lee, who gave her a grin and thumbs' up. She then returned to her contacts list to call Hinata.

o.O.o

"Hmm… I like this one. I'll add it to the 'yes' pile."

"Don't you want to try it on?"

"I should probably do that."

Tenten was sitting cross-legged on Hinata's bedroom floor, dressed in only her bra and undies. Last week Tenten decided that she needed to upgrade her wardrobe, but she didn't have the money. Hinata, as her family was quite wealthy and she had too many clothes to wear, offered to let Tenten go through her wardrobe and pick out clothes she liked. Hence why she was barely clothed. The brunette had picked out quite a few shirts, skirts, pants and dresses already, including a few pairs of jeans that were too big for Hinata.

Right now, Tenten pulled on a white t-shirt with a green butterfly emblazoned on the front. Green was never Hinata's colour.

"What do you think?"

"I like it."

Grinning, the brunette tugged off the shirt and added it to the ever-growing pile of clothes she was keeping.

"I think I've almost got enough," she grinned. Hinata giggled.

"You're cleaning out my wardrobe! This saves me from doing it myself!"

 _They say home is where the heart is set in stone, it's where you go when you're alone-_

Hinata answered her phone. "Hello?"

 _"_ _Miss Hinata, it is I."_

Hinata giggled. If Sakura sounded happy then it had to be good news. "Sakura! How was the scan? How's the baby? What gender is it? Is it a boy or a girl?"

 _"_ _Whoa, whoa, Hinata slow down! Is Tenten with you?"_

"Present!" Tenten shouted, glancing up from the pile of clothes she was searching through.

 _"_ _Great! Well, the doctor said everything's fine. We've got a nice, healthy baby."_

"That's good," Hinata sighed in relief, giving Tenten a thumbs' up. She was glad that Sakura was going to have the baby, no matter how big the challenge. Tenten and Ino felt the same and were all willing to provide whatever support necessary to help their long-time friends. Honestly, the three of them had been secretly hoping for years that Sakura and Lee would get together, given that Lee had always loved her, and this was the perfect opportunity. "So, are you going to tell me if I'm getting a niece or nephew?"

 _"_ _Well, the doctor did tell me the gender…"_

"And?"

 _"_ _It's a girl!"_

"It's a girl!" Hinata echoed, beaming as Tenten whooped in joy, pumping her fist in the air. "It's so exciting!"

 _"_ _I know. Hold up a sec."_ Hinata heard a car door slam over the phone and the sounds of walking. _"We just got home. Hahaoya and Lee are helping me look at prenatal classes in the area."_

"We're really happy for you, Sakura," Hinata said softly. "We'll be here whenever you need us, except for Christmas because you know my family."

Sakura chuckled. _"I love you too. Thank you."_

"Do you want us to come over?"

 _"_ _Not if you're busy, which I hear you are."_

"Tenten's just going through my wardrobe. We can be over in ten minutes."

 _"_ _Well, if it's alright with you, I'd just like to be away today. How about tomorrow?"_

"Of course! Tenten?"

"Yep, I'll see if I can go over tomorrow."

"Tenten says maybe. And Ino?"

 _"_ _She's bored. She'll come over in a flash. Tomorrow?"_

"Tomorrow. Say hi to Lee for me."

 _"_ _Will do. Bye!"_

Sakura hung up and Hinata flung the phone aside, enveloping Tenten in a hug. "It's a girl!" Tenten cried in delight, pushing Hinata back and holding her at arms' length. "I can't believe it!"

Hinata blushed and shrugged Tenten's hands off. "I really hope they know what they're doing," she said thoughtfully. "I can't imagine having a baby at that age, if it was me."

Grinning, Tenten grabbed a skirt and stood, holding it against herself. "They'll be kick-ass parents, as long as they don't chicken out." She tilted her head, examining the skirt in the mirror. "It's a pity this is your favourite skirt."

"How did you know?"

"I've seen you wearing it enough." Tenten tossed it down and scanned the pile, searching for something that caught her interest.

The door opened. "Hey Hinata, I need to borrow your…" Neji trailed off, staring at Tenten in just her lingerie. A blush crossed his features and he opened his mouth to speak again, only to be cut off by an enraged Tenten.

"GET OUT!" she screamed, grabbing the nearest object – which happened to be Hinata's hairbrush – and lobbing it at the offending teen's head. It smacked his face and he reeled back, clutching his forehead.

"What the hell?!" he yelled. "I'm going! I'm going!" He slammed the door shut and Tenten turned to Hinata, the anger draining from her face to be replaced by fear.

"Your brother – my crush – just saw me nearly naked," she gasped, eyes wide. Hinata, long past feeling any sympathy for her dear brother, merely grinned.

"At least he blushed. You know what that means?"

"What?"

"He liked what he saw."

"Hinata!"


	10. Chapter 9

Here's to wishing you all a Happy New Year and good fortunes for 2016! Hopefully it'll be even better than last year.

At **BrightestOfCrayons** , your review made my day so thank you for that!

At **guest** , you have no imagination.

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 9**

Before stepping into the shower Sakura followed her usual routine of examining her body in the mirror. She would note any new stretch marks that appeared and the gradual swelling of her belly. The stretch marks were the worst, as they probably wouldn't go away after she gave birth.

On the bright side she'd stopped throwing up and was finally putting on some pregnancy weight, though it was mostly in her thighs at the moment. Her breasts were also starting to expand and were sometimes sore in the mornings, though she wasn't sure if that was a positive.

"The joys of pregnancy," she murmured, tearing her eyes away from the mirror and stepping into the shower.

The past few weeks had been filled with either nonstop planning and preparation, or boredom. There were times when Mebuki would drag Sakura around to look at prenatal classes and baby items, and times where Sakura sat at home flicking through the television channels. Lee was always her cure when she was bored, as she just invited him over. He'd been a regular sight around the Haruno household for many years and continued to be so, even if he was working every other day.

At least the gym was closed on Christmas. Gai and Lee were coming over for the day, as they were now technically family. Sakura still couldn't believe that she and Lee were now related in a way other than friendship.

She'd made significant progress in changing her views on Lee. The thought of dating him wasn't undesirable now and she focused more on the good things he would bring into a relationship, but she still didn't like him enough. It was chewing her inside-out and she wondered if they'd ever be a couple, given that her feelings weren't as strong as they should be. She remembered her hahaoya's words, "don't force yourself to fall in love with him", but she couldn't see herself falling in love with him naturally. It was cruel, she knew, and she feared she was sending mixed messages, but what else could be done?

Sakura stepped out of the shower and towelled herself dry, paying careful attention to her stomach. Four months ago it had been as flat as a pancake. She dressed in her pyjamas and exited the bathroom, heading to the lounge. Picking up her phone (no new messages), she wondered what her friends were up to.

o.O.o

"It's looking almost finished," Hinata said proudly, hopping from foot to foot, her heels sore from standing on the concrete floor in Kiba's garage.

The kennel looked fabulous, if she said so herself. It was big enough for Akamaru and three other dogs to sleep inside, with a sanded wooden floor and white painted walls. The outside was fashioned from oak planks and a large plastic window was set in the wall opposite the entrance. Outside the entrance frame was a small veranda. Two holes were cut to one side, the metal dog bowls fitting into the holes nicely. Small fences lined the left and right sides of the veranda, leaving the front unobstructed. The roof was triangular in shape, made of red terracotta tiles that were secured in place.

All in all, the kennel was luxurious and Akamaru would be salivating once he saw it.

"It _is_ finished," Kiba grinned, brushing his hands against sawdust-covered shorts. "This is the best Christmas present for Akamaru. I can't thank you enough!"

"I've told you, I'm happy to help out." She used an old paintbrush to dust the edges of the kennel, pushing loose bits of wood onto the floor. The garage was filled with brick-a-brac piles of wood and construction equipment and it would take forever to clean. Luckily Kiba had volunteered to do all the cleaning, stating that Hinata had already helped out enough.

Kiba glanced around at the mess. "This is going to take up all my time until Christmas. And no! You've done enough."

Hinata shrugged and finished with the brush, lowering it. She went over to the workbench and pulled a dust-covered sheet, using it to cover the finished kennel. Once it was in place she pushed her hair behind her ears and smiled. She'd taken more showers than usual lately but it was worth it to spend time with Kiba. Hiashi had been suspicious at first, as his daughter was spending excess amounts of time with a boy, and hadn't relaxed once he met Kiba's family. Tsume was a handful, as was Hana, but they were loveable people. They had warmed to Hinata immediately, as did the dogs.

"This should keep it hidden from the pups," she grinned, glancing at Kiba. He nodded, sawdust flying from his hair, and a matching grin spread across his face.

"You should see your hair. It's filthy!"

She giggled, her confidence having grown from weeks spent with him. "Another quip like that and the ladies'll be eating from your hand."

"Nah." He blushed. "That's Akamaru's job."

"Good one," she said warmly, "but he's not a lady."

"You're a lady," Kiba agreed, "though you don't look like one right now."

"Kiba!" she sighed, rolling her eyes. He stepped forward and ruffled her hair playfully, sending sawdust everywhere. They both tried to hold their breath but couldn't prevent the coughing fit and doubled over as they hacked out their lungs.

"I'm not doing that again," he wheezed, standing straight and clearing his throat. Hinata did the same and felt suddenly parched.

"I'll go get some water," she said. As she turned to leave the garage, Kiba's hand grasped her arm firmly.

"I made myself a promise," he murmured. "I promised myself to tell the truth before you left the garage today."

"The truth?" Her breath caught as he pulled her around to face him. After weeks of brushing against him accidentally, blushing after eye contact and sharing secret smiles, he was finally doing something about it. She knew he was a good one.

"I was wondering if you… well, if you'd like to go out sometime?" he asked, blushing. "I mean, like to the movies or dinner or something."

Grinning, she pretended to consider. "Hm, let me think about that… would I want to have dinner with you?" He went pale. "I think so. Sure."

Kiba laughed and let go of her arm. "That's great! I mean, um…" He seemed to debate on what to do next, then he leaned down, closing his eyes.

"Kiba…" Hinata pressed a hand to his chest. "I'm not kissing you right now. Or on the first date. Its bad luck to kiss a girl before or during the first date."

He opened his eyes, blushing and fidgeting, stepping back. "I'm sorry. It's not as if I've done this before…"

"I know." She continued to the garage door. "I'll get us that water now." Exiting the garage she carried herself with an air of confidence and security, but inside she was dancing with joy and squealing like a little girl.

o.O.o

Elsewhere in town, Tenten was stacking returned books in piles of: Young Adult, Adult, Historical, Encyclopaedia, Romance, and many more. When the piles were done she transferred them to the trolley and wheeled it into the silent library. There, she began to place them back into their respective shelves.

Working as a librarian's assistant wasn't a particularly fulfilling job, but it was a lot better than being a waitress (that was her previous job). The pay wasn't as good, but the work was a lot easier and she didn't get covered in grease and filth.

As she moved into the Romance section a familiar voice made her jump. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Neji!" she hissed, spinning. "Are you stalking me or something?"

"No. I visit this library often. I just happened to see you and wanted to say hello."

Tenten inwardly cringed. She'd been actively avoiding the Hyuga household, except for Hinata, because she was embarrassed that Neji had seen her in only her undies and bra. It was humiliating! And now that he'd seen her thunder thighs he probably wasn't interested.

Stupid Hyuga, she thought savagely.

"So when do you finish?"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"Do you want to get hot chocolate or something? It's pretty cold outside."

"No," she said firmly.

Neji stared. "I don't get it. You say you like me, then you avoid me. Why?"

How could he understand? She'd never had a boyfriend before, not like Sakura, and she had no idea what to do. "I just… I don't know." He really made her feel like an idiot at times.

He sighed and leaned against the trolley of books. "Look, I'm sorry about the other week. I should've knocked."

"Damn right you should've."

"Now I'm trying to mend the gap. Will you have a drink with me?"

Hm. Her best friend's brother had just offered _again_ to take her out and he did look quite nice leaning against the trolley with his muscles tensed. What's the worst that could happen? "I finish in three hours."

"I'll just read." He waved his hand vaguely. "Do you have any preferred places?"

"Not really. My hahaoyas' and I don't eat out much."

"Your hahaoyas'?"

She blushed, figuring it was best to tell him now. The time for embarrassment about her two hahaoyas' was long past. "I was adopted by a gay couple."

"Fine by me," Neji shrugged, "two of my best friends are gay." He stood straight and retreated into the Historical section, where he grabbed a book and settled down to read. Tenten shook her head and went back to work, excitement pulsing in her belly at the thought of going on a date with Neji.

o.O.o

"Ino… Ino… WAKE UP!"

"CHICHI!" she screamed, her eyes snapping wide open and her torso jerking against the seatbelt. "What the hell?!"

Inoichi chuckled and patted her shoulder. "We're here."

She spun in her seat, realising that they had finally reached the lodge where they would be staying until the New Year began. It was made entirely of pine, with the exception of the stone fireplace. The whole lodge was right near a skiing spot, where families would come for a day in the snow. Mountains surrounded the lodge, which was awful in the event of an avalanche. Each mountain was completely covered in powdery white snow, as was the roof of the lodge and its neighbouring shed.

"It looks beautiful," Ino breathed, her eyes fixing on the blue pick-up and the silver Ute parked on either side of them.

"The Ino-Duo!" two voices shouted, their respective owners exiting the wooden front door with grins on their faces. Chouza and Shikaku bounded up to the white Land Rover and pounded their fists on the bonnet good-naturedly, until Shikaku stopped to yawn.

"Losers!" Inoichi cried, leaping from the truck and embracing his two best friends. Ino giggled. Some things never changed; the trio had been best friends since they were little children. Unfortunately the close friendships hadn't been inherited by their own children, probably since Ino was a girl. Shikamaru and Choji were friends, and Ino and Shikamaru had briefly dated a year ago, but together the three of them were acquaintances. Ino hoped that this holiday would change that.

"I'm glad to see you finally showed your ugly face," Chouza said, his voice deep and booming.

"Why won't the little shrimp get out of the Bubble?" Shikaku sighed tiredly, earning a glare from Inoichi for comparing the Land Rover to a 'Bubble' car. Ino didn't take the shrimp remark seriously (insults were their best and only personality traits) and crawled from the truck, rubbing her eyes.

"My little niece!" Chouza declared, crushing Ino in a bear hug. She felt her lungs quake under the pressure and blubbed pointlessly until the huge man finally let her go. She collapsed on the ground, gasping, and Shikaku helped her up.

"Jeez pea-brain, you'll break her," the Nara chided, hugging her gently. She wrapped her arms around his waist gratefully and wondered if she would survive two weeks at the lodge with five stinky males.

Then Shikamaru and Choji exited the lodge, and she knew she would survive the next two weeks.


	11. Chapter 10

When I started posting this story all I got were negative reviews because of the pairing, and I'd just like to thank all those who've responded to my writing positively! It really makes all the hard work worth it, knowing that people out there like my story.

This chapter is a little late. I wanted to post it on Christmas but it didn't end up happening. Oh well, here it is!

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 10**

It was Christmas morning. Sakura woke at nine o'clock to the smell of eggs benedict frying in the kitchen. She pressed her face into her pillow, rubbing her rounded belly lovingly and breathing in the scent of breakfast. Eggs benedict was one of the few things she'd been able to stomach in the first trimester.

Four months pregnant. Yay.

She crawled out of bed lazily and yawned as she wandered out to the kitchen. Mebuki and Kizashi were both feasting on the eggs benedict, as expected, and looked up in delight as their daughter joined them.

"Morning Sakura!" Mebuki greeted. "We made your favourite."

"Merry Christmas hahaoya, Merry Christmas chichi." She hugged them both and sat down, heaping a generous amount of eggs benedict onto her plate. "So I'm guessing you got presents for the baby instead of me?"

"Does that include toys and clothes?" Mebuki grinned.

"Yep."

"Then I'll keep you guessing."

"Hahaoya! Chichi, what did you get?"

"That's the magic of Christmas, blossom," Kizashi said, brandishing his fork, "you never know what you'll expect."

"Gai and Lee are coming over at twelve for lunch. I expect you to be properly awake and out of your pyjamas."

"Hahaoya!"

"No buts! If we were going to their house you'd put on nice clothes."

"Fine." Sakura sulked over her breakfast, but after a few long moments her parents burst into laughter.

"You're so cute when you're flustered!" Kizashi chuckled, pinching her cheek. Sakura slapped his hand away and couldn't help a small smile from gracing her face.

"I'm finishing this in my room. That way I don't have to see your faces any longer," she grinned, whisking her plate away. Mebuki and Kizashi's laughter rang throughout the house and Sakura didn't have the heart to close the door to her room, as she hadn't heard them laugh like that in a long time.

o.O.o

Lee came home from a short jog and collapsed on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Today was Christmas and he was going to see Sakura for the first time in a week, as he'd been too busy with work and going behind her back to buy presents. He couldn't wait to see her and how she was growing.

That was his child inside her, he thought savagely. It wasn't Sasuke's. It wasn't any other boys. It was _his_. That only increased his love for her, as well as his heartache because he feared she would never love him back. She'd been trying, that much was clear, but he had no idea if she felt anything beyond friendship.

The whole thing made him want to curl up in a ball and cry.

He stood and made his way to his bathroom, where he had a cold shower to wash away the sweat. Today he dressed in some new clothes, as he wanted to prove that he could be stylish, but decided against gelling his hair. He knew Sakura liked his bowl cut. Gai was in the lounge reading the newspaper when Lee entered.

"Chichi, how do I look?" he asked, spinning.

"You look positively youthful!" Gai shouted, brandishing his newspaper. Lee glowed from Gai's praise, as always. He idolised his adoptive chichi for his enthusiasm and dedication, as well as his strength and speed. Lee wanted to be exactly like Gai, except not as loud. Sometimes Gai could be a bit much.

"When are we going?" he asked.

"At twelve o'clock! Are you going to tell young Sakura that you love her? Today is the perfect day to do it!"

"I… did not think of it."

That was a lie. Lee had been deciding how to tell Sakura of his love for quite a few months.

"You should do it today!"

"You think so?"

"I know so! Now I must take the presents into the car!" Gai leapt to his feet and rushed around, gathering up all their gifts to put in the boot of the car. Lee watched him vaguely, knowing that Gai was right. Today he would tell her. He couldn't bear to go another day without her not knowing.

o.O.o

"Merry Christmas Lee," she smiled, hugging the tall boy. She had to admit, he looked very nice wearing a button-up shirt, jean-shorts and canvas shoes. If not for the bowl cut and bushy eyebrows he'd almost be attractive in a Sasuke way. But the bad haircut and eyebrows made Lee who he was: he didn't conform.

"Merry Christmas blossom!" he cried, pulling back and bringing his face down to her belly. "Merry Christmas little one."

"And may we enjoy the Christmas festivities!" Gai bellowed from the doorway, charging in with a huge sack of presents flying behind him. Lee dived out of the way, dragging Sakura with him, the pair giggling at Gai's antics. It took a moment for her to register Lee's arms around her waist and the strangest feeling was coursing through her body. Was that… nervousness? Her skin was covered in goose bumps and she swallowed.

"Welcome!" Kizashi grinned, dragging the trio into the lounge room. "Now that you're here, it's time to open presents!"

Christmases were going to be like this for a long time, Sakura realised. Gai and Lee were a part of their family now, permanently.

The present-giving ensued. Gai received some clothes that _weren't_ embarrassingly skin-tight, and a meal-for-two voucher to one of the more prominent restaurants in the area. Mebuki and Kizashi got some clothes and a new-age technology blender that had at least ten different functions.

Lee and Sakura were buried to the ceiling in baby clothes, toys, and other things baby-related. There was a large selection of maternity clothes for Sakura, which annoyed her because her parents must have spent so much money on them.

"Hahaoya! Chichi! This is too much," she chided, opening up yet another pile of maternity dresses.

"It's not too much! We said we would support you, and Lee chipped in too."

"Lee!"

"I am not sorry. You will need these clothing items and the rest will come in use when our child is born."

She rolled her eyes, seeing the logic in his statement. Sometimes, Lee was annoyingly logical. Other times he had a complete lack of common sense, but everyone was allowed to be stupid at times. She smacked his arm playfully and their grins were identical. Their parents exchanged knowing glances and handed over the next present. Sakura's mouth dropped open. There was more?!

"You're all idiots," she said softly.

"Hey, you're the one that's having a baby at sixteen," Kizashi pointed out.

"That makes me the biggest idiot of all, I suppose?"

"Yep," her chichi replied cheerfully. "Now open it!"

Instead of maternity clothes and baby items, this parcel contained a book, _Grimm's Brothers Tales_. Sakura cradled the book in her hands for a moment, loving the smooth feel of actual paper.

"This is fantastic," she said finally. The book would be very useful for her own entertainment, as well as the baby's. Reading her fairy tales before bed… that was a nice mental image.

Gai handed Lee a small rectangular package labelled 'To Lee, From Sakura' and Lee tore it open eagerly, blinking as he was faced with a painting. It was a painting of a cherry blossom tree, with a green-clad boy sitting underneath it. The boy was clearly Lee and he was surrounded by pink flower petals as he leant against the tree trunk.

He looked up at Sakura, wide-eyed. "Thank you," he said shakily, smiling. Sakura smiled in reply. Gai slapped his back and Lee began to laugh, returning his gaze to the painting fondly.

Her family looked pleased. "Well," Mebuki grinned, "that's the last of them." _Finally,_ was the unsaid word. "Sakura, you and Lee can take your things to your room and we'll clean up down here."

So Sakura and Lee gathered up all the presents and lugged them to her room, barely managing it in one trip. Lee dumped his pile on the floor and Sakura collapsed on her bed, her pile strewn around her. As she stretched back, her belly poked out from beneath her shirt.

"Well, that was –"

She never finished, as Lee approached the bed and slowly moved on top of her, his knees resting on the edge of the bed and his elbows on either side of her head. Her breath hitched as his face hovered inches above hers, so close that their breath mingled. Then he moved even closer and she couldn't help but close her eyes and snake her arms around his waist.

Lee gently pressed his lips against her own and she felt like she was going to explode. Her stomach churned with butterflies and she pulled him closer. They hadn't kissed like this since their baby was conceived and she suddenly wondered why he hadn't kissed her before now.

His tongue snaked into her mouth and she moaned, moving her hands up and tangling them in his hair. The moan seemed to rouse him and he broke the kiss, breathing deeply. Her eyes snapped open and she stared at him, panting.

"I am sorry for accosting you," he whispered, "but I could not go on without you knowing of my feelings. Sakura, blossom, I love you with all my heart. I have for some time now. My only hope is that you can love me back."

With that, he stood and left the room, not even stopping to straighten his hair.

Sakura sat up slowly, her fingers ghosting over her lips. Lee had just… kissed her. And she'd liked it.

Suddenly everything made sense in a brief, world-changing moment.

"I've been looking at this the wrong way," she said softly to the empty room. "I was so focused on trying to fall in love with him that I didn't realise… I already did." She buried her face in her hands, whispering the words, "I love Lee."

Lee, when they were babies, giving her his teddy because hers was ripped.

Lee, in kindergarten, running around and encouraging her to run with him.

Lee, when they were seven, chasing away two girls that were being mean to her.

Lee, on Sakura's thirteenth birthday, yelling "HIP HIP!" as she was about to blow out the candles.

Lee, on the first day of high school, letting her hold his hand as they walked through the gates together for the first time.

Lee, when Sakura failed to complete her homework one night, letting her copy his.

Lee, when their group went to a water park during the summer holidays, holding her close when they were going down a particularly scary slide.

Lee, when she started to date Sasuke, threatening to bash the other boy's face in.

Lee, when she told him she was pregnant, declaring that he was staying no matter what.

Lee, remaining at her side.

"I love him. I love Lee." She bit back a sob. "How could I have been so blind…?"

When she went downstairs for lunch she was perfectly composed. She said she'd been putting her things away and her parents believed her, not reading between the lines and noticing that she was strangely calm for a pregnant girl.

"There was so much stuff to put away," she said jokingly. "Half of it couldn't fit in my wardrobe."

"We'll have to get started on turning the guest room into a nursery," Kizashi declared. "Let's make that next year's project."

"I would be glad to help!" Gai shouted.

The five of them sat down at the table, which had been set with plates, cutlery, glasses and a wide array of Christmas dishes (seafood, of course, as Sakura was partial to seafood in her condition). Kizashi raised his glass.

"To our family," he toasted.

"To our family," everyone echoed, clinking their glasses together and taking a deep drink.

The next hour was filled with food, cheerful talk and laughter. Lee was especially cheerful, grinning and being the butt of most of the jokes. Sakura sensed that it was a mask designed to protect his hurt at his 'rejection'. Later tonight, she planned to share her earth-shattering revelation. Now that she knew of her feelings she was seeing him in a new light. Lee was possibly the most beautiful boy in the entire world, his personality rendering his huge eyebrows obsolete. He was the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful person she knew. How could she have once seen him as nothing more than a friend?

Her breath caught whenever she thought of his lips on hers.

o.O.o

The sun had set an hour ago and the parents were lounging in the kitchen, chatting while fixing up some tea. Gai had brought over his special brew, the one that both Mebuki and Kizashi were always happy to drink.

Sakura didn't feel like tea and was quietly nursing a glass of water. Lee held a hot chocolate, sipping it occasionally as they watched television – some movie about sword-fighting. Neither teenager was very focused on the movie, instead mulling over inner problems.

Knowing that Lee wouldn't start talking, Sakura decided to take the lead. "How long have you liked me?"

He let the silence drag out before answering. "Since we were six, when I first saw you in our primary school uniform with your hair clipped back. I had never seen someone so beautiful." He sighed and turned his face further away from her. "I understand if you reject my advance and we can continue as if it never happened."

She smiled, as he'd left the perfect opening for her to accept or reject. "We won't continue as if it never happened. I've spent the last few months trying my hardest to fall in love with you, but it never happened. Then you kissed me, and I didn't have to force myself. I never had to because I already love you."

His head snapped around. "You…"

"That's right. I love you." She shook her head. "I don't know how I could've been so stupid."

He leapt up from the armchair and slid onto the couch beside her, his face alive with excitement. "And I love you." A sob escaped his throat and he quickly covered his mouth, eyes wide. "I am so sorry… I just… I never thought you would return my feelings. I cannot explain how happy this makes me!" He cupped her face with one hand and the other was laid on top of her belly. "I promise to faithfully love both you and our child for as long as we may live."

"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself! We have to get through this little tyrant first." She laid a small hand over his large one, smiling widely.

His eyes watered as he met her gaze. She couldn't imagine how he must feel right now, learning that the girl he'd loved for… ten years (!) loved him back. Suddenly, she was incredibly happy, proud and glad of her pregnancy: her little blessing in disguise.

"Does this mean we are boyfriend and girlfriend?" he asked eagerly. She tilted her head.

"Yeah, I think so. Now shut up and kiss me." Kissing him was ecstasy and she wanted to kiss him for the rest of her life. Naïve? Probably.

He leaned close and pressed his lips to hers, closing his eyes at the contact. Sakura melted into the kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck of their own accord, skin heating at his touch.

"Well Gai, it looks like I owe you one-hundred yen."

Sakura and Lee jumped apart guiltily, eyeing the three adults standing in the room with them.

Kizashi was the first to speak. "And I owe both of you two-hundred yen."

"Thank you," Gai said proudly.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Oh, the three of us had bets. Gai bet that you two would be a couple before the year was past, I bet you would get together before the baby was born and Kizashi bet you'd realise your feelings once the baby was born." Mebuki shrugged. "Seems Gai was right, but I was too." She wandered to the coffee table and set down the teapot and mugs, leaving the tea to cool slightly.

Kizashi crossed to the teenagers and placed a hand on Lee's shoulder. "You're one of the good ones," he said seriously. "I still hate you for getting my daughter pregnant, but I'd prefer you as a son-in-law than any other whack-job."

Sakura rubbed her stomach lovingly, imagining what the baby would look like when she was born. She'd be tiny, according to the books. Lee would have to be careful not to crush her!

Babies were blessings in disguise, she mused, staring around as her family smiled and laughed together, Gai doing a few poses. They were her family. They loved her and she loved them. Seated beside her, Lee casually draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, laughing as Mebuki made a joke about the movie that was playing.

She settled down in Lee's arms, feeling completely content for the first time in a long time.


	12. Chapter 11

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 11**

Her two weeks were almost up and she still hadn't made any progress in asking Choji out.

Ino sighed as she collapsed inside the warm lounge room, lit only by the large wood fire. Shikamaru was napping on a pile of cushions in front of the fire and Choji was snacking in an armchair lazily, staring into the flaming depths.

Their chichis were all in the nearby bar drinking and enjoying their last night on holidays together, as they were heading home tomorrow. Ino was envious of their fun, as she was sitting bored in the very uneventful lodge lounge on New Year's Day. Well, it wasn't technically New Year's Day, as it was night-time, but it was still the first of January. Thinking while on holidays made her head hurt!

The whole holiday had been amazing. The group of six went skiing and snowboarding every day and the three teenagers had made quite a few snowmen together; enough for a small army. Even Shikamaru, who was notoriously lazy, managed to scrape up enough energy to function every second day. Shikaku was the same.

Christmas had been a blast, even if they didn't exchange gifts. According to their chichi's this trip was a good enough gift and the children agreed. The food was excellent and the lodge was away from the other families staying in the mountains, meaning they had a huge area to themselves. Ino loved the solitude, even if she spent her time with her ex-boyfriend and her want-to-be-boyfriend. Luckily she and Shikamaru weren't ones to hold grudges. They honestly couldn't even remember why they'd gone out in the first place.

Shikamaru stirred on the cushions, rolling over and mushing his face into a fat one, exhaling loudly. Choji continued to snack. Ino reached for a brush and ran it through her long blonde hair idly, tugging it through the wet strands. She winced as it caught a bigger knot, cursing her thin blonde strands (thin hair was awful to brush).

"You want me to do that?" Choji asked, glancing over at where Ino sat on the three-seater couch.

"Sure." She shrugged indifferently, though her heart was racing at a million miles an hour. Choji heaved himself up from the armchair and ditched his chips, joining Ino on the couch. She turned her body away and handed over the brush, closing her eyes as he began to brush her hair, starting at the tips.

"So what was your favourite part of the trip?"

"The snow during the day, and the fire during the night. You?"

"Hm… it's a cross between the buffet and the salad bar. They make a good beef salad here." He licked his lips at the memory.

"I take it you haven't had beef salad like that before."

"Nope. I saw you hanging around the salad bar a lot too. You ordered a lot of different things."

"Oh really? Like what?" she challenged, wincing as the brush tugged hair from her scalp. Choji pressed a gently hand to her head and pulled the brush through the knot, wincing at her squeak of pain.

"Like, um, you had a few Caesar salads, some rock salads, and chicken salads… garden salads…"

"Well done. What about Shikamaru?"

"Eh, he mainly got stuff from the vending machines and the sushi bar. Lazy sod can't be bothered to be adventurous."

"Well he's plenty adventurous during the day, so it doesn't really matter if he sleeps the night away." She had to admit, Choji was a genius when it came to food. He was a brilliant cook, like his chichi (who owned one of the most prestigious restaurants in Kohona), and wanted to be a chef or a food taster when he grew up. Maybe even both.

"That's our Shikamaru. Being adventurous is too troublesome."

"Talking about people behind their back is mean," Shikamaru mumbled from his spot on the floor. Choji and Ino chuckled but otherwise ignored his comment.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the holidays? I mean, until school starts at least?" Ino asked. He continued to brush her hair, the brush moving smoothly as all the knots and kinks had been worked out.

"Well… just helping out at the restaurant I guess, and hanging out with my friends. We should catch a movie sometime."

"Damn, you stole my line," she giggled.

"Huh?"

"I was going to ask if you wanted dinner and a movie… but okay."

The brush stilled. "As in a date?"

"Yeah…" She hesitated. Had Neji been wrong?

"Um…" His voice had risen, probably in nervousness. Ino shook her head.

"I'll give you the night to think it over. I'm going to bed." She stood and left the lounge, her face flaming. What if he said no? Then she'd feel like the biggest idiot. She closed her bedroom door behind her and flicked the light on before moving around the room to prepare for bed. Someone knocked on the door. "Come in!"

Choji entered, red-faced and sheepish. "You uh… you forgot your brush." He laid it on the dresser beside the door nervously, withdrawing his hand like a snake was about to bite it. "Um, about before, yeah, dinner and a movie sounds great. It was just a bit… unexpected."

She smiled widely and crossed the room, throwing her arms around him without a second thought. "I'm glad!" His rounded body was very comfortable and she imagined resting against it if they were cuddling in bed. That would be nice.

"The skinny, blonde and beautiful Ino Yamanaka just asked me out. Why not?" He laughed into her hair and she pulled back to face him.

"The smiling, kind and food-loving Choji Akimichi just agreed to go out with me. Why not?" She darted forward and pecked his lips briefly, grinning at his shocked expression. "Now out you get mister. I'm going to bed."

He nodded slowly and swept from the room, a vacant (but happy) expression on his face. Ino, beaming, turned the light off and settled into bed. It took quite a while to fall asleep, and when she did she was woken minutes later by Inoichi, Shikaku and Chouza as they came home from the bar, laughing and singing loudly about goblins.

o.O.o

Tenten checked her watch for what felt like the hundredth time before staring back out at the street. Plenty of people wandered past, heads protected by woollen beanies and hoods, but not the person she was looking for.

As it was the second of January mostly elderly people and families were out and about this early in the morning. Her own hahaoyas were in bed sleeping off hangovers like quite a few others she knew. The New Year celebrations had lasted over several days, resulting in multiple wild nights and subsequent hangovers. Tenten had escaped the madness that was her family by hiding out in the library. Sure, she loved her hahaoyas and their families, but they got very loud when they were drunk. They were never dangerous or anything like that – just loud.

She wasn't the only one who'd been caught up in family celebrations. The day after she had coffee with Neji, he and Hinata had been swept up in family commitments lasting from before Christmas to the New Year. As a result, she hadn't seen either friend. Ino was skiing and Sakura and Lee were having a baby, which didn't leave her many options to escape her rambunctious family.

"Good morning beautiful."

Tenten jumped and spun in her seat, taking in long hair flowing out from underneath a grey beanie. He had snuck up behind her while she was deep in thought. Bastard. "Morning Neji. It's been a while."

"Yep." He moved around the table and dusted snow off the chair opposite her before sitting. He had called the night before to ask if she wanted to get some breakfast at a local café he was fond of. As she hadn't seen him in weeks and really missed hanging out with someone other than family, she'd accepted.

"So how was your family time?" she asked, tugging the sleeves of her gloves.

"Boring. All they talk about is money and the business. I come from a family of robots. You?"

"Well, I've been out at aunt's and uncle's houses for Christmas and New Year's. They all got pretty drunk and really loud." She shook her head. "I love them and all, but they can get rowdy."

His expression became concerned. "What kind of rowdy?"

She grinned. "They're a jolly bunch. You know, like Hobbits and stuff. Quite a few embarrassing stories are told. I tend to head to the library for some quiet time when they get loud."

Neji nodded. "Hold on a second, I'll go and get us some menus." He stood and entered the quaint little café, returning to their outside table within moments.

"You think we should eat inside?" Tenten asked. "It's quite cold."

"It'll be fine," he assured her, handing over a menu. "What would you like?"

She scanned the menu for a few long moments, pursing her lips. "Bacon and eggs with a cappuccino."

"Okay." He took both menus back into the café before returning, hands tucked in his pockets. "I made our order."

"What're you having?"

"The eggs benedict with a caramel latte."

"Real sophisticated," she commented. He sat back down across from her and sighed.

"I wish my family was like yours." He laced his gloved hands together broodingly. "It would be nice to have fun sometimes, even just one night of rowdiness."

"We're not swapping families for a day," Tenten chuckled. "I can deal with their loudness and not the boringness of _your_ family, you and Hinata excluded."

"Are you calling my chichi boring?"

"Well, he _is_ very unfriendly at times…" She trailed off, staring in disbelief as two familiar figures wandered past the café, holding hands. " _Lee? Sakura?_ "

Both teens turned and noticed Tenten and Neji sitting together. Sakura dragged Lee over to the table, but they didn't sit down. "Hey Tenten," she greeted, "hey Neji."

"Hi."

"Hey! So… are you two a couple now?"

"Yes." Lee blushed.

"It's about time!" Tenten cried, leaping to her feet and pumping their free hands enthusiastically. "Sakura, you _do_ know that he's loved you for years, right?"

The pink-haired girl shook her head. "It seems like everyone knew but me. Our parents took bets on it!"

Tenten sat back down, grinning. "It looks like Ino owes me that green purse."

"You too?" Sakura groaned. Lee patted her shoulder consolingly with his free hand. "So are you two on a date?"

They exchanged glances. "Yes," Neji replied before Tenten could speak. The brunette fell silent, slightly flattered by the declaration. As far as she was concerned, their breakfast wasn't a date, but so far it'd been a good first date – if that's indeed what it was.

"Then we best leave you," Sakura said hastily. "See you around." She and Lee retreated quickly.

"Hinata and Kiba are dating!" Tenten called to their retreating backs.

Neji's lips twitched. "It seems all your friends are pairing off. Choji texted me last night. He and Ino are planning a date."

Tenten watched her friends' retreating forms curiously. "Doesn't it make you feel really shallow?"

"I don't understand."

"Well here we are, and Hinata and Kiba and Ino and Choji, all thinking about trivial stuff like relationships. Then there's those two. They're having a _baby_ for God's sake! I just… I feel like we're being really selfish and insensitive to their situation, like we should be doing more to support them."

"They have each other," Neji deadpanned. "I'm sure you'll be hanging out soon once the baby is born." He glanced down the street thoughtfully. "Is it a girl or a boy?"

"A girl. I wonder if they're looking at names yet," she mused. Their discussion was interrupted when their food and coffees were brought out to them. Tenten stared longingly at her bacon and eggs and tucked in eagerly, much to Neji's amusement.

"I like a girl with an appetite," he said, cutting up his eggs benedict. Tenten shot him a vicious glare, prompting a smirk from him. Stupid Hyuga.

o.O.o

"Thanks for getting me out of the house," Sakura smiled, reclining onto her lounge room couch. Lee moved to stand behind her and rested his chin on the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her stomach.

"I am glad." Lee gently kissed the top of her head and she sighed contentedly. He smiled slightly, knowing that her happiness was his doing.

Someone cleared their throat behind the couple, breaking the feeling of contentment that had momentarily settled. Lee stood straight and nodded respectfully at Kizashi.

"Good morning, blossom. Morning Lee."

"Hey chichi."

"Good morning Kizashi."

"Come here, Lee." Kizashi beckoned. "I want to talk to you."

"Of course." Lee smiled at Sakura and followed her chichi into the kitchen, where the older man turned and proceeded to glare.

"I want you to promise me something," Kizashi said, his voice low. "I haven't said anything because I know how happy you're making my baby girl, but I'm going to warn you. If you _ever_ hurt her – if you even _think_ about leaving her because it's becoming too hard – I will _hunt you down_ and _kill you in your sleep_. Promise me that you won't leave her and you won't treat her poorly, because if you do… it'll be the last thing you ever do."

Lee smiled, unfazed by the threat, as he could never imagine doing anything cruel to his blossom. "I promise that I will remain by her side for as long as she wishes. I promise to treat her with the respect she deserves and love her with all my heart. I will _never_ intentionally hurt her. Remember, you bet that she and I would become a couple and we have. Do not count us out so quickly."

Kizashi glared for a moment longer before smiling widely. "You're the good one. I'm proud to call you my son." He stepped forward and embraced the tall boy, who returned the hug eagerly. When Kizashi held him at arm's length, he chuckled. "I'll tell you now, you can come to me whenever you want and ask for my blessing."

Lee opened his mouth to reply, but Kizashi squeezed his arms and breezed from the kitchen, humming like nothing had happened. The teenage boy walked slowly back to the lounge room, his eyes riveted on Sakura's smiling face.

"Did he try to kill you?" she joked, holding out her hand. Lee took it and moved around the couch to sit beside her.

"No, we just talked."

Sakura picked up _Grimm's Brothers Tales_ from the coffee table and pressed it into Lee's hands. "He won't try to kill you; he loves me too much."

"I know." Lee opened the book to where they'd last read to and began the tale of _Snow White_. Sakura settled against his side and he read to her like the talk hadn't been a big deal.

 _I'm proud to call you my son… you can come to me whenever you want and ask for my blessing…_

Inside his mind, the wheels were turning.


	13. Chapter 12

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 12**

Sakura woke without warning.

Darkness reigned outside, minus the twinkling of stars and the white light of the waxing moon. The moon sent uneven light cascading through the open bedroom window, the sill of which was powdered with fresh snow. It was completely silent outside, as every sound was muffled by the surrounding snowfall. Outside was cold but inside it was warm from the downstairs heater.

Panting, she rolled onto her side and into a sitting position with some difficulty, her bulging belly weighing her down. Sweat dripped from her forehead, which burned feverishly, and her hands shook as she grasped the edge of the bed. Her hair clung wet to her cheeks and snaked into her open mouth, allowing her to taste salt.

A nightmare had woken her. In her sleeping state, she'd been holding a baby, but the baby was blue and didn't draw breath. She was screaming at the lifeless form, willing it to wake, but pale white eyes stared up at her, unseeing. Then Lee took the child from her arms and walked away, hiding it from her. She tried to run after him but it was like her legs were stuck in quicksand. While she remained in place Lee was moving further away, taking her baby with him.

She'd opened her eyes then, finding herself drenched in sweat and panicking. Her eyes flicked to her phone, lit slightly on her bedside table, and saw it was only two in the morning.

Doubt washed over her. How could she possibly raise a baby at her age? At the very least, should she have considered adoption? She and Lee were way over their heads in this. How were they going to pay for everything? There was no way she was relying on Gai and her parents to pay for all the expenses. She should be doing this when she was thirty; when she had money in the bank and when she was financially secure. Lee was doing everything he could, but that couldn't possibly be enough.

Lee… if he wasn't with her, she wouldn't be able to do this. Fear struck her. What if he left? What if everything overwhelmed him and he just… left?

She knew that the pregnancy hormones messed with her, but she'd never imagined it to be that bad. Swallowing, she grabbed her phone and dialled a number she knew off by heart. Lee answered after ten rings, just when she was beginning to panic.

 _"Good morning, blossom,"_ he yawned. _"Are you alright?"_

"Lee, are we in over our heads?" she whispered. "I don't know if we're ready or not. What if something happens?"

 _"Sakura-"_

"How do I know we'll survive this? That you won't leave? I don't… I can't…" She blinked as the dial tone sounded in her ear. "Lee? _Lee_?" The phone slipped from her fingers and she pressed her hands to her round belly, sobbing. Well, she'd done it. She'd pushed him away with her own insecurities and it wasn't the first time. Sasuke hadn't liked her insecure moments and he told her so, which had widened the ever-growing rift between them when they were dating. What kind of girlfriend did that?

The wrong kind, she realised. She pressed gently on her belly and felt wetness from her tears trickling down the material of her pyjama shirt. It was Lee's child there – hidden by layers of skin and not fully-formed – and she wouldn't be able to raise her without him. Without Lee, she couldn't be a hahaoya. When had she become so dependant? Probably since she'd realised she loved him.

Gradually, as the minutes passed, her sobs settled and she laid back down in bed, drawing the duvet up to her chin. Her stomach bulged beneath the blankets and she stared at the fuzzy outline, squinting her eyes in order to see her five-months-pregnant belly in the limited moonlight.

The distinct sound of the front door opening pulled her from her reverie. She jumped slightly and laid her hands on her stomach, listening as the door squeaked shut. Her body froze with fear. Someone was in the house. Were they being robbed?

Soft footsteps moved up the hallway and Sakura's mouth went dry in terror. Ragged breaths reached her ear and she frowned slightly at the noise. The robber was being very loud.

Her bedroom door creaked open slowly and purposefully and she gathered her breath to scream. A shadowy outline moved into her room and closed the door behind it.

"Sakura," whispered a very familiar voice.

"Lee!" she squeaked. "I thought you were a robber!"

Lee made his way over to her bed, his breathing laboured, and sat beside her horizontal form. "I am not a robber."

She remembered their conversation and panicked slightly, fearing the worst. "Are you here because of what I said? I'm sorry if-" His finger touched her lips and she fell silent, staring up at where his eyes should be.

"Sakura, blossom, I am here because of what you said. I ran here as soon as I hung up because I had to be here in person. I have to be by your side when I say that we are ready for parenthood. No one can love our daughter as much as we and I will never turn away from either of you because I love you with everything I have. I may not be financially secure but I will do everything I can to ensure happiness to both of you."

More tears trickled down Sakura's cheeks and Lee gently wiped them away. She sniffled. "I'm sorry for being so stupid. What did I do to deserve you?"

"Do not apologise," he said softly, leaning down to kiss her. It would have been perfect, except that he kissed her chin by accident. They giggled together and he moved upwards, this time managing to find her lips. The kiss quickly became heated and Sakura threw the duvet and blankets away, giving him room to crawl in beside her. She shivered as his cold clothes pressed against her bare legs. He had definitely run over here. The gesture made her heart race.

"I was wondering if you could stay," she murmured, pulling back slightly.

"I am sure your parents would understand."

"I mean, stay with _me_."

He stilled "Oh."

"You know, before I get incredibly pregnant and can barely move, because after she's born we won't get any time alone."

His response was to wrap his icy arms around her and capture her lips again.

o.O.o

Ino stared around the Art room in awe, unable to believe that Sakura and Lee had actually gone along with their plan. The pair was nowhere to be seen, as were Hinata and Tenten. Where were they?

Speak of the devil! Both girls strolled through the door with bags slung over their shoulders. Tenten tackled Ino in a massive hug, almost knocking the blonde over. "Good morning Miss Ino!" the brunette greeted, grinning widely.

"You're happy," Ino stated, staring at her friends, "both of you. What happened?"

"Boyfriends," Hinata explained.

"Wait. So Kiba actually asked you out?!"

"Yes."

"And so did Neji?!"

"That he did."

Ino threw her arms up in the air. "Well I'll be damned! Since when did we all have boyfriends?"

Tenten frowned. "I… honestly don't know. I have no idea what my hahaoyas will say when I tell them…"

"Wait, you haven't told them?" Hinata's eyes were huge.

"Oh, and you've told your chichi about Kiba?"

Hinata looked at the floor. "No," she said in a small voice. "You know how my chichi gets."

"At least none of us are like Sakura." Ino shook her head. "My chichi would completely freak, your chichi would disown you and your hahaoyas' would be terrified."

"Sakura's lucky," Tenten said hotly. "So's Lee. They have great parents."

They fell quiet for a moment. "I miss them," Hinata admitted. "It doesn't feel right."

"I'm going to miss Lee in HPE class," Tenten sighed.

"And Sakura in Humanities." Ino hung her head. "Things are changing. They haven't changed since we were kids."

Tenten was always the brave one. She grabbed her friends' hands and grasped them tight. "We'll change with it. You know, it just so happens that our boyfriends are in the same friendship group. Would it really hurt if we joined them?"

Ino brightened. "That doesn't sound so bad. Where do they hang out?"

"In the school yard," Hinata piped up. "Neji's sort of the leader of their little group and I'm sure he'll let us hang out with them."

"Sounds like a plan." The trio high-fived.

o.O.o

Sunlight streamed into the room as Sakura slowly gain consciousness. Warmth filled her entire being and a beautiful feeling extended to the tips of her fingers. Smiling, she opened her eyes and tightened her grip on the arms around her waist. Lee shifted behind her and gently kissed the back of her head.

"Good morning blossom," he whispered. She sighed. Why couldn't all mornings be like this?

"Morning love."

He pulled his arms free and supported himself on his elbow, using his free hand to stroke her bare shoulder. His lips joined the hand and she closed her eyes at the contact. She'd never felt something so wonderful.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly. "You were distressed earlier."

"I'm fine now," she assured him, shifting to the edge of the bed. "You saw to that. Thank you. I really needed it."

"As did I."

Sakura stood and immediately ducked back under the covers. "It's cold!" she whined, curling up against Lee's bare chest. He laughed and wriggled out from under the covers, standing barefoot on her carpet floor. Lee stretched and Sakura took a moment to admire his muscles as they flexed. His pyjamas were on the floor and he pulled them on leisurely, allowing Sakura as much time as possible to stare. "You've become a bit of a tease," she said huskily, drawing the blankets tighter around her.

"Only around the woman I love." He finished buttoning his flannelette shirt and sat on the side of the bed again, resting his hand on her shoulder. "School resumed today, and today is also our one-month anniversary."

"I hope the girls are okay," Sakura murmured anxiously. "I haven't seen them in a while."

"They will understand. You are five months pregnant!"

"Don't remind them." She sat up heavily, the blankets falling away from her top half, and shivered. "Where did I put my clothes?"

"In the wardrobe."

"Right." Sakura was quick to put on trousers and a loose-fitting jumper, as well as thick socks for her small feet. "How are we going to explain this to my parents?" she asked. "It's not… normal for you to pop up in the middle of the night."

"We will tell the truth." He grabbed her hand and gently pushed her from the room. "They will understand."

The couple wandered into the lounge room where only Mebuki sat, as Kizashi had already gone to work. She stared at Lee in surprise. "Hey Lee! When did you get here?"

"Between two o'clock and three o'clock this morning. Sakura was distressed."

"Blossom?"

"I… I had a bad dream. You know, just got a little overwhelmed with everything." She patted her belly with her free hand. Her stomach tremored. "Lee…" She gasped. "I think the baby just kicked!"

Lee emitted very girlish squeal and knelt in front of Sakura, pressing his ear to her belly. His eyes widened. "She is very strong." He stood and embraced Sakura, beaming. "I cannot believe it! She is kicking!" The couple laughed and Mebuki watched them fondly.

"We made the right decision," Sakura murmured into Lee's shoulder. "I am _not_ giving up again, not ever."


	14. Chapter 13

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 13**

"We'll need to buy a lot of paint," Sakura observed from the guestroom doorway. Kizashi stared at the ceiling, pencil between his teeth, and tapped a notebook against his leg.

"We will. And new curtains and bedding. Mebuki and I still have your old baby furniture tucked away in the garage. I'll get Lee to go digging for it and clean it all up."

"Chichi!"

"What? I'll be working on the nursery! It makes sense for both of us to be doing something useful!"

"I guess you're right. But he's been so busy with work and everything… I'd feel bad."

"But I won't." Kizashi jotted something down in the book. "If he wants to be a part of our family he has to pull his weight."

The doorbell rang and Sakura started, rubbing her hand on her enlarged belly. "That'll be the slave labour," she joked, heading down the hallway, leaning back slightly. She'd never imagined that a baby would be this heavy – it was like carrying a hundred whales.

Lee's grinning face appeared as she opened the front door. "Hello blossom!" He wore his work trousers, joggers and singlet, though the top was covered by a green jumper. The base of his shoes were slightly damp from walking through the grass, not covered in snow like they would have been two months ago, in the thick of winter. It was spring now and Sakura was seven months along. The last two months had been absolutely brutal as she'd finally attended prenatal classes, which turned out to be completely horrible.

In a nutshell: the other expectant hahaoyas. As soon as Sakura walked in, they fixed her with looks of disapproval. They were all thirty-plus and had had a chance to live their life before falling pregnant for the first time. To Sakura's credit, she'd thoroughly researched everything she needed to know before attending the classes, so she hadn't made a fool of herself in front of the other women. She was able to demonstrate the best ways to hold and feed a baby and soothe a crying child. If not for the other women, she might have enjoyed the classes.

"Hey love. How was work?"

"It was average." He shrugged and pecked her cheek, smiling. "I survived by thinking of you!"

"Come on in." She turned to move inside and Lee attached himself to her, following her along the hallway with an iron grip on her hips. "Chichi's started sorting out everything for the nursery. He wants you to find all my old baby furniture and clean it up."

"I would be delighted!" Lee disengaged himself so he could greet Kizashi and man and boy shook hands. "It is good to see you! I will return in my spare time to begin my quest."

"Why not start now?" Kizashi asked, examining his notes.

"I wish to take Sakura on one last outing to a local seafood restaurant before she decides against leaving the house in her state," Lee replied smoothly, flashing a smile at Sakura. Kizashi's features softened as he watched the pair of them.

"I don't see any reason to say no," Kizashi shrugged, beaming. "Sakura, how about one last hurrah before you're caught in the trappings of parenthood?"

"Sure." She shrugged. "Just let me put on something appropriate." While Lee and Kizashi discussed plans for the nursery, Sakura waddled to her room and skilfully changed into a knee-length, long-sleeved white dress with tiny pink hearts dotting the material. It was thick enough to protect her skin from the cold but cool enough that she wouldn't start to sweat. She pulled on a pair of pink ballet flats and brushed her hair quickly, deciding against makeup.

"You look beautiful," Lee greeted as she appeared in the doorway to the guestroom. He glanced down at his baggy work pants, green jacket and joggers and frowned, as if he didn't look nice the way he was currently dressed. To Sakura, he looked best in green.

"Shall we?" She grinned and held out her hand for Lee to take. He accepted the offered hand and the couple followed Kizashi out to the car. Sakura eyed the car nervously, as the baby became restless every time she'd entered the car in the last two months.

"I'm assuming one of you has a phone?" Kizashi stated, hopping into the driver's seat.

"I do," Lee replied as he helped Sakura into the back seat. He bent down to clip in her seatbelt and kissed her cheek fondly, causing her to blush.

The ride to the restaurant was a short one and Sakura's stomach moved quite a few times. "Give me a call when you're ready to come home. You kids behave yourself," her chichi quipped, waiting for Lee to help Sakura out of the car.

"It's not like we'll be getting up to any mischief, chichi," she countered, holding out her hands for Lee to pull on. She was heaved to her feet and paused to steady herself as Lee shut the car door. They moved onto the sidewalk and waved as Kizashi drove off. Then Lee took her hand and they walked the short distance to the seafood restaurant in question. Sakura could _feel_ the judgmental eyes following their progress, watching her belly with distaste. She swallowed and was glad that this was her last outing for a while – her back was already killing her.

"Here we are," Lee announced, pointing to the bar. He pushed the sliding door open, allowing Sakura to enter first, and followed her to a table near the back of the room. Conversations stopped as they passed and Lee moved beside Sakura, as if shielding her from the oppressive stares. A wave of adoration surged through her and she smiled at him fondly. Upon reaching a table, Lee darted in front and pulled out a chair, pushing it in once she was seated. He then sat down across from her.

It was a comfortable little place with wooden walls and furniture and clear windows lining the front wall. The kitchen was in the very centre of the restaurant, with the rest of the tables surrounding it, either against the wall or in the middle of the floor. Stools lined the kitchen benches, forming a rectangular shape, and most were full. The people sitting at neighbouring tables to Lee and Sakura gave them strange looks.

"Is it really that much of a shock to see a pregnant teenage girl?" Sakura sighed, lowering her gaze to her menu.

"Cheer up! Their opinions do not matter." He reached across the table and held her hands. "What matters is how we feel."

"You're right." She nodded. "They can keep their thoughts to themselves. I'm hungry for some seafood!"

In the end, Sakura almost wiped out the remains of Lee's wallet. She couldn't help it. She was starving for seafood! As there weren't any almond-based desserts, they decided to forego dessert. The stares had lessened as they ate, as people gradually forgot they were there, and it made conversing much easier. They'd had a good laugh about the waitress's reaction when she came to take their order. She'd looked between Lee and Sakura several times, wondering if they were 'for real', before realising she was supposed to be working.

"That was a _very_ nice meal," Sakura announced, lowering her chopsticks for the last time. "I think our little one enjoyed that."

Lee grinned and leant around the edge of the table so he could see her stomach. "What was that? Oh, our child says that she _loves_ seafood." They shared a smile before standing up, Lee moving quickly to help Sakura to her feet. She wouldn't normally like being treated like an invalid but it was great for people to see just how much he cared for her. It gave her pride to know that someone as special as Lee was by her side.

"Can we go for a short walk before calling chichi?" she asked, accepting his hand as he led her from the restaurant. "I'd like one last chance to stretch my legs. I'll be holed up in the house for the next three months, so I should do it while I can."

"Of course."

They walked down the street side-by-side and hand-in-hand, this time ignoring the stares that were sent their way. At one point, Sakura was sure she saw her old Literacy and Numeracy teachers, Kakashi and Iruka, walking into a grocery store together but she couldn't be sure.

"Do you want to look at names when we get home?" she asked. "Or will you get onto the job for chichi?"

"We shall choose a name. It cannot possibly take very long."

"You'd be surprised," she said dryly. He chuckled and raised their joined hands, pressing the back of hers against his lips in a sweet gesture.

" _Sakura_?"

She turned slowly – mindful of her swollen belly – and stared in shock at the group of boys approaching them: Neji, Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji. Kiba and Shino were nowhere to be seen, which struck her as odd.

The group of boys halted and swapped gazes between Sakura's pregnancy and her and Lee's joined hands. Neji, however, knew everything already, so he was fine with speaking.

"You've gotten bigger since I last saw you."

"Yeah." She fidgeted. She glanced at Sasuke's wide eyes and bit her lip, wondering what was going through his head.

He turned to Neji. "You _knew_? Why didn't you tell us?"

Neji raised an eyebrow. "It's hardly my business to go blurting to the world that Sakura's pregnant. Who she tells is her decision. Besides, I'm dating her best friend and to do something so cruel would end us."

Sasuke faced Sakura again, swallowing. She didn't know why his acceptance felt so important to her. "So… how far along are you?"

"Seven months. And yes, Lee is the chichi."

Naruto grinned and rushed to the couple, pumping Lee's hand enthusiastically and hugging Sakura like she was a bomb. "I'm so happy for you guys! Is it a girl or boy?"

"A girl."

"What're you calling her?"

"We have not decided yet," Lee sighed. "That was the next item of business."

Shikamaru approached them slowly, shaking their hands loosely. "Good luck. Children are such a drag." He gave them a wan smile and moved back so Choji could say his congratulations and salutations.

Then there was just Sasuke. Everyone could see the gears turning in his mind. "So… when you were throwing up at school…"

"Yep."

"And why you haven't come back this year?"

"Yep."

"When did this happen?"

"Gah, it's like everyone wants to know! It was just after we broke up, so no, I didn't cheat on you."

He let out a breath. "I just can't believe you're _pregnant_. What will you do with the baby?"

"We are keeping her," Lee announced, pulling Sakura closer.

Naruto shook his head. "You guys sure are brave. I can't imagine doing anything like that at sixteen."

"You're not a girl," Neji pointed out. He inclined his head to Lee and Sakura. "It was a pleasure to see you. I'm guessing your back is killing you right about now, so we'll leave you be. Good luck."

"Thanks. We'll see you around."

Sasuke took a moment to shake their hands, finally past his shock, and the group retreated. Sakura watched them go sadly.

"Everyone at school will know now," Lee sighed, groping in his trouser pocket for his phone. "It will not be a secret."

"I don't want to keep something this wonderful a secret." She turned her gaze to Lee and smiled. "Besides, I was right."

She paused, prompting him to ask: "About what?"

"About their faces being hilarious when they saw me well and truly pregnant!"

o.O.o

The group of boys drew out of sight from the expectant couple and Neji watched Sasuke warily, waiting for the boy to say something. Naruto practically glowed with joy at the discovery and his glow was even affecting Shikamaru, who looked a little more alert.

"Sakura is pregnant," Sasuke said slowly.

"Yes. She is. With Lee's baby, so you don't have to worry about paying child support or anything." Neji wouldn't admit it but he enjoyed seeing his poised friend unsettled.

"What is she _thinking_?"

"Maybe that she should make the best of the situation and give the girl parents who love her?" Choji shrugged. "It seems straight-forward to me."

"You're a very straight-forward person, Choji," Shikamaru shrugged.

"Guys!" Sasuke snapped. "Help me out here! Help me wrap my head around the fact that my ex-girlfriend is pregnant."

"You and her didn't do it, so it's not yours," Neji stated.

Sasuke faced him quickly and the group stopped walking. "How did you find out? I don't imagine they were eager to tell you."

"They didn't. I was eavesdropping when they told Hinata, Tenten and Ino. That made me a honourary member of their little group until it started breaking apart."

"It didn't break apart," Naruto protested. "The other girls just joined our group! I, personally, am very proud of them. Everyone knows that Lee loves Sakura and it looks like she finally noticed!"

"Oh yeah…" Sasuke seemed to realise, for the first time, that Sakura's pregnancy wasn't a way to get back at him. If anything, it was a way to get _over_ him. Neji rolled his eyes as the imaginary lightbulb clicked over Sasuke's head.

"Now I want you guys to swear that you won't go blabbing this to anyone who'll listen. We have to respect Lee and Sakura's wishes and they don't want their baby to be a massive spectacle. If anything, avoid telling people at all. Sasuke, you especially. You owe her this much."

"Fine." Shikamaru yawned. "Gossip is too troublesome."

"Sure thing," Choji grinned.

"You bet," Naruto agreed.

"Fine," Sasuke conceded.

"Then it's settled. Just leave the poor girl alone, okay? She's on her last leg of pregnancy and she doesn't need distractions."

"Okay." Naruto pulled Sasuke in for a brief kiss, just to make sure he was still alive. "Now let's go to the arcade!"

o.O.o

"Thanks chichi." Sakura stood on tip-toes and kissed her chichi on the cheek as Lee closed the front door behind them.

"It's alright. I got all the paint we needed." Kizashi smiled at Lee, who was laden with five large cans of paint: four white and one lilac. "Lee and I agreed to do three walls white and have a lilac feature wall."

"Sounds great."

"Well son, if you can take those up to the guestroom I can start taping and you can look at names."

There chichi goes again, calling him 'son', Sakura sighed. She plonked herself onto the lounge room couch and waited for Lee to come back so they could begin. Sometimes she wondered if her chichi was saying 'son' on purpose or if it was a reflex, as Lee had been a honourary member of their family for years.

Lee say down beside her, opening her laptop and entering the password. "I should have taken you out during school hours," he sighed, "that way we would not have crossed paths with them."

"It's okay. It felt good to show her off a bit." She patted her belly lovingly. "Now let's get started. I'll be honest, I've been thinking about names for a while now."

"As have I. The only name I found appropriate was Sakurako: cherry blossom child."

"Not bad." It did have a ring to it. Sakurako Haruno. "Write it down."

He opened a Word Document and typed down 'Sakurako'. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, there's a cross between my hahaoya's name and Gai's name… Mai. It means ocean or elegance, I think."

"Mai Haruno. I like it." He wrote it down.

"I also liked Keiko: blessed child. And Maeko: child of true blessing."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

He sighed. "This will be a difficult decision. Let us start with Mai. Could we include your chichi's name in that too? Maishi?"

She shook her head immediately. "That's a boy's name. If it was a boy… probably. And now Mai is off the table because then chichi would feel left out."

Lee backspaced over Mai and looked at the next one on the list. "Maeko? I do not think this will suit our child. It is a nice name, but is not right for her."

"Okay. Sakurako Haruno." She fidgeted, unwilling to admit that she didn't really like the name Lee came up with. "It's a good name I guess, but… her name will define her. She'll be a child of the cherry blossom and she'll never be able to escape _us_. Like… ah, I don't know how to say it."

"You believe that she will be looked down on as her parents were teenagers when she was born."

"Yes! She'll be known as the 'child of the cherry blossom who got pregnant at sixteen'. Everyone will treat her differently if they're constantly reminded of our age."

"I understand. That is hardly fair. Well, that leaves us with one option."

"Keiko Haruno. Blessed child." That was the least objectionable one. "I suppose… she is a little blessing in disguise as months of morning sickness, sore backs and insomnia."

"Keiko… Haruno…" Lee said softly. He smiled. "I like it. Little Keiko." He put the laptop on the coffee table and knelt in front of Sakura, placing both hands on the sides of her belly and resting his forehead against the middle.

Her heart beat faster and she felt Keiko kick a little, startling Lee. "Looks like someone can't wait to meet chichi," she grinned, running a hand through Lee's hair.

She was shocked when he looked up at her with tears falling messily down his cheeks. "I am so happy that I cannot express it," he hiccupped. "I love you. I love our daughter. I will never turn away from either of you, _ever_. I swear upon my honour that I will stay with you no matter what!"

"Lee…" She bit her lip, feeling tears well up. "I love _you_. I always will. And I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy." She sucked in a shaky breath. "Don't you ever wonder if we're too young?"

"All the time, but then I think of the adventure we are embarking on. Not just anyone can be a good parent and yes, we are young, but we also have the capability of love. I know we will love Keiko and perhaps one day provide her with siblings-"

"One is enough for now!" Sakura interrupted hastily. "Let's just get through this first before thinking of more."

"My point is, we may not have the funds to give her everything she needs but she will always have our love and that is the most important thing for a child to have." He kissed her belly tenderly. "Without my chichi's love, I do not know what man I would have grown up to be. Everyone is defined by the love and attention shown to them by their parents – _everyone_. By loving Keiko, we will be good parents no matter how young we are."

"When did you become so youthfully mature?" she joked, smiling. Lee grinned, remembering Gai saying something similar when they declared they were keeping the baby.

"When the woman I love told me she was carrying my child," he whispered, standing up and bending over her, capturing her lips in his. They kissed for several long moments, their contact deepening quickly, before Keiko moved.

"Ah," Sakura groaned, pulling back, "I think the little one'll have a 'hahaoya and chichi want alone time so I won't give it to them' alarm."

"What?"

"You know when you were little and you… um…" She cursed inwardly, as Lee had never had two loving parents so he wouldn't know what the hell she was going on about. "Well, hahaoya and chichi told me that when I was a baby, I would start crying whenever they kissed or tried to have alone time. It was like I sensed they wanted a break and I wouldn't give it to them. Apparently I did it until I started school."

"Let us hope she inherits your beautiful face as well as your annoying childhood habit," Lee chuckled, rubbing his hand over her stomach. "Do not forget, we have two homes."

"About that…" she hesitated, unsure of how to put it. She didn't want Gai to be living on his own but at the same time she wanted Lee to come and live with her and Keiko.

"You wish for me to come and live here, but do not want to offend my chichi." He sat on the couch beside her, frowning thoughtfully. "I understand if you do not wish for him to move in here. He can be a handful."

"You got that right," she muttered.

"And my house is totally unsuited as there are only two bedrooms and the nursery is here."

"There's always the shed… I mean, if you cleaned out the back room and did it all up real fancy…"

"That is a fantastic idea!"

She stared at him. "What?"

"Chichi can move into the shed! He will not mind, as long as he is near us! If he stays in the shed temporarily we can still manage the affairs of our current house."

"I'm not sure I'm sold on the idea of Gai living here… and I don't know if my parents will be either."

"What if it was temporary? Once he decides that he is ready to live on his own, he will move back."

Nodding slowly, Sakura began to see the merit in the idea. "And he can help around the house and make more of his fabulous seafood curry. Hahaoya and chichi really like him. Maybe they might see some sense in the idea."

"Chichi would be pleased to see Keiko on a daily basis. He loves babies and children. He always gives them advice and encourages them to enjoy life."

"Okay. Although there is one condition if he's to live here. He has to wear proper clothes around the house instead of those tight little pants he loves."

Lee laughed and wrapped an arm around her. "Deal."

Hopefully their parents would go along with the plan. If not, then Gai would be living alone for quite a while and there was no telling what that would do to his already insane mind.


	15. Chapter 14

Thank you everyone for your positive reviews!

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 14**

Sakura's first contraction occurred when Kizashi and Gai were carrying the crib into the nursery. A sudden pain flared and clutched her insides together tightly, like a child grasping a new toy. She grabbed the wall for support, panicking, yelling for Lee. It was too soon! Keiko wasn't due for another month.

Mebuki rushed up the hallway and grabbed Sakura. The contraction ended just as suddenly as it started.

"Is it happening?!" Lee bellowed, feet pounding as he came level with them all. Mebuki ignored him and hid her pain as her daughter gripped her arms tight.

"Are you still contracting?" she asked calmly, focusing completely on Sakura's uneven breaths.

"No… it's gone. What happened?"

"It was a practice contraction. They're perfectly normal. It's your body getting ready to give birth. You'll be getting more of them over the next few weeks up until birthing time. You don't have to worry unless they get longer or more frequent."

"Oh. Okay." Sakura released her hahaoya from a tight grip, wincing as she saw red marks on Mebuki's arms.

"Every time you get one from now on make sure to count the seconds. That way you know when to worry."

Kizashi and Gai wandered up the hallway, wiping their hands on their pants. "What was all the ruckus?" Kizashi asked.

"Sakura had her first contraction," his wife explained.

Gai beamed. "That's very good news! Soon we'll have Rock Lee Junior running around the house… I can't wait!"

"You mean Sakura Haruno Junior," Kizashi pointed out. "It's a girl."

Gai wasn't moving in with them, even temporarily. He said that it would be easier on Kizashi and Mebuki, as they wouldn't have to make allowances for another person. Despite his protests the back room of the shed was cleared out and made habitable by Lee, who worked tirelessly on the room for a whole week. Once it was done he and Kizashi carried Sakura's bedframe into the room, as it was a single. The double-bed from the guestroom had gone into Sakura's room, as she and Lee would be sharing it. Kizashi hadn't liked the idea, but Lee assured him that nothing inappropriate would happen (he brought up Sakura's baby alarm and Kizashi nodded empathetically before agreeing to have the bed moved into Sakura's room). It fit nicely and Sakura couldn't wait to sleep in a bed that they _both_ fit in. Part of the deal was that Lee could only move in after Keiko was born.

After seeing that the room was ready anyway, Gai relented and said that he would come and sleepover every Saturday night. "Saturday night is Grandpa Gai's playtime with Keiko!" he cried excitedly. It was a nice compromise and sure beat their original plan. Lee would move in permanently and Gai would stay over on Saturday's.

Sakura took several deep breaths and moved slowly to her room, where a pile of pregnancy books rested in the corner. She grabbed the one at the top and flipped through, looking for information on contractions. Why hadn't she read about them yet? Had she skipped that part? No, she hadn't, but it was a part that had gone right over her head since there was so much more to think about.

Lee moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her ribs, being careful not to squeeze too tightly. "Are you alright, blossom?" he asked softly, his breath tickling her ear.

"I'm fine. It was just so sudden." She whipped her head around as her phone started vibrating on the bedside table. Lee let go and helped her across the room, where she sat heavily on her bed and answered the phone. "Hello?"

 _"Hey Sakura! It's your favourite blondie here!"_

She laughed a little, rubbing her stomach absent-mindedly. "Hey Ino. How're you?"

 _"I'm great! I've got Hinata and Tenten with me at the moment and we were wondering if we could pop in and say hi!"_

"I guess so. We just finished the nursery." She realised that she hadn't seen the finished product yet, as her contraction had hit. "I'll wait until you get here before seeing it myself."

 _"Awesome! She say's we're okay. Sakura, we'll be there in about ten minutes."_

"See you then." She hung up and looked at Lee. "The girls are coming over for a bit."

Lee nodded and stuck his head out the door, telling the three adults the news. They all made affirmative noises and Sakura stood slowly, her back suddenly aching with the effort. Lee was immediately at her side and placed a supporting hand on her back as they made their way to the lounge room to wait for their friends. Sakura never thought she would enjoy being coddled but Lee's constant attention made her feel special rather than smothered. She loved it when he jumped up to help her move, as it made everything so much easier and she knew he cared. She sat down on the couch, wriggling to get comfortable, and Lee took a seat beside her.

Gai bounded into the lounge room, beaming. "The nursery is finished!" he cried, flapping his arms wildly. "Come and see!"

"I'm waiting for my friends to get here so we can all see it." Sakura's stomach rumbled, which Gai and Lee thankfully didn't notice. Once her friends left she would fix herself a sandwich with whatever she could find in the fridge.

"Are the girls coming over?" Mebuki asked, appearing behind Gai.

"Uh… yeah."

"They wish to see the finished nursery," Lee explained, smiling.

"Oh. I should boil some tea! I think I still have some of yours, Gai, and maybe some biscuits too." Mebuki fretted as she disappeared into the kitchen, where the clattering of cups and plates began.

"She's impossible," Kizashi muttered, exiting the hallway while wiping damp hands on his jeans. "Well blossom, I've got work in half an hour. Love you." He bent down and kissed her forehead tenderly before wandering into his room to get changed. Sakura smiled slightly, glad that he now supported her pregnancy. If it had been any other boy… she shuddered at the thought.

"Love you too, chichi!" she shouted at his retreating back.

"Where is _my_ love?" Lee whined, nudging her knee with his own.

"You'll get it later," she teased, wriggling her eyebrows. Gai was watching, so she couldn't exactly be intimate with Lee without feeling awkward about it. She knew Lee didn't like intimate contact in front of her parents, as he was worried Kizashi would snap at him. It was highly likely, actually.

Grinning, Lee took her hand and gently squeezed it. Their moment was interrupted when Gai declared that he was going home. He saluted the teenagers, yelled a goodbye to the adults, and swept out the front door dramatically. Sakura and Lee stared after him for a long moment before breaking out into laughter. Gai could be really funny at times.

"Ow, ow, laughing hurts," she wheezed, changing to a giggle. They were still giggling/laughing when their three friends waltzed into the house, yelling: "I'm home!" Well, Ino was yelling.

"Here's my favourite parents-to-be!" Ino grinned, rushing over to them. "It's been ages since we've seen you! You're huge!"

"Tell me something I don't know," Sakura said dryly, the laughter draining from her face to be replaced by a deadpan. Then she gave an unladylike snort and covered her mouth with her hand, continuing to giggle.

"Hey Lee, how's it going?" Tenten asked, embracing her friend. Lee smiled as he squeezed her.

"We have one more month before Keiko is born and then I am moving here!" He let Tenten go and hugged Hinata and Ino in turn. Sakura didn't get up from the couch but her friends bent down to hug her.

"What about Gai?" Hinata asked.

"He will be staying over every Saturday night."

"Yeah, Saturday night is Grandpa Gai's night. He'll be living in the back room in the garage." Sakura held out her hands. "Lee, could you please help me up? We should see the nursery before hahaoya bombards us with tea and biscuits."

"Tea!" Ino grinned. "Is it Gai's tea?"

"Yes." Lee nodded as he wrapped an arm around Sakura's back and pulled her up.

"That's exciting."

All eyes turned to the couple as Lee moved behind Sakura, holding one of her hands and his other hand pressed against her back. A collective sigh sounded from the girls and Hinata clutched her hands to her heart.

"They are so cute," she whispered. Tenten and Ino nodded in agreement before following them up the hallway.

They all gaped as they entered the nursery. The wall opposite was painted lilac, while the other three were white, and white curtains dotted with green leaves lined the single large window. The carpet was incredibly soft and clean, as was the white wooden crib set against the left wall. A box of toys rested on the opposite side of the room and the picture Sakura had painted for Lee was nailed high on the wall where a wandering baby couldn't reach it. Kizashi had fitted a butterfly mobile above the crib, as well as a few empty frames where baby pictures could go. The built-in wardrobe was filled with all the baby clothes, organised in order of size, and a change table was set up right next to the wardrobe for easy access when changing the nappy.

"It's beautiful," Ino said. "Should we be standing in here? It's so _clean_."

"You're fine." Sakura wiggled her bare toes on the carpet for a second before her back and shoulders began to cramp. "Well I'm going back to the couch. I'm carrying a pod of whales and they get heavy."

"Oh, right." Hinata moved hastily to the lounge room and Ino and Tenten waited for Sakura to waddle to one of the couches before sitting with her.

"Are you scared or excited about parenthood?" Tenten asked curiously, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees.

"Obviously both, silly," Ino muttered.

"Both for the both of us." Sakura glanced at Lee. "We've had our insecurities and we're ready to take it all on together."

Tenten tilted her head. "Hey, what do you think would happen to us if we got pregnant?"

"WHAT?!" everyone else shouted.

She waved her hands frantically. "That's not what I meant! Like, how would Neji react if I _figuratively_ got pregnant? Would he like me enough to stay?"

"You have to work towards the staying part," Sakura ventured. "I'm pretty sure that all your boyfriends would _try_ to stay, but they ultimately wouldn't. You'd have to build up the trust and only time can do it."

"I guess so."

Their conversation ended when Kizashi wandered past, combing his hair with his fingers. "Hey girls," he greeted, waving as he reached the front door.

"Hi Kizashi," the blonde, brunette and black-haired girl chorused.

"Wait." He darted into the kitchen, where he was probably kissing Mebuki goodbye. He came back out and waved. "I'm off! Don't get up to any mischief!"

"Like we'd get up to mischief with your heavily pregnant daughter," Ino snorted. He grinned and closed the door behind him, where he left for work. As soon as the car disappeared from the driveway, Mebuki entered the lounge room with a tray of tea, biscuits and muffins. Sakura's stomach growled at the sight and she pinched a muffin before the tray was set down on the coffee table.

"Guests first!" Mebuki chided.

"Sorry. I'm hungry." Sakura lowered her gaze but proceeded to devour the walnut muffin. It wasn't almond, but at least it was a kind of nut. She was very partial to nuts, so maybe Keiko would like them.

"Well she's the pregnant one," Tenten pointed out.

"Oh yeah… I totally forgot." Mebuki grinned and everyone groaned at her lame joke.

"Hahaoya, you have a bad sense of humour," Sakura muttered, reaching for another muffin. Mebuki rolled her eyes and proceeded to pour five cups of tea with all five teenagers taking one.

"I'll be in my room if you need me," the woman said once she lowered the teapot. Smiles were exchanged as she strolled up the hallway to her room, but she didn't shut the door.

"So I had my first contraction this morning," Sakura said conversationally.

"Doesn't that mean your body's getting ready for birth?" Tenten mused. "I think we looked at that in HPE a few years ago…"

"It does. I'm due in four weeks so you'll have a little niece before the month is over." _Hopefully_. Sakura didn't like to think about it, but if something went wrong…

"Make sure you contact us when you go into labour," Ino ordered. "We all want to show you that we support you."

"I think I will be the contactor," Lee said uncertainly. "After all, Sakura will be too busy." He swallowed. At least she wasn't the only one who was anxious about it. The pregnancy books said there was a lot of pain and she'd never had the best pain tolerance, as her month of wallowing in misery could testify.

To think that eight months ago she'd been moping about Sasuke dumping her. She'd been naïve and immature back then and now she'd grown up and taken responsibility for a whole other life. She couldn't help but think of it as an 'in your face' to Sasuke and she'd proven that she wasn't like the other girls. On a related note, Lee wasn't like other boys. He'd stuck with her for nearly the whole eight months – soon to be nine – and would stay around for years to come. What a man.

They chatted for about an hour until all the tea, muffins and biscuits were finished, then for about half an hour after that. Unfortunately Ino had to be home by a certain time, as did Tenten, for family stuff, so they all had to leave after only two hours.

"It was great to see you," Hinata smiled. "The term's really busy because its exams this week so we won't be able to drop in."

"But we'll come to visit when it's holidays," Tenten finished.

"You bet!" Ino added. "Then you won't be able to get rid of us! I mean, unless we have dates or something…"

Sakura laughed. "You don't have to be around every day. I know you have lives. Just call me when you're in the area."

"Will do," they all agreed.

"If you see me in the gym, come and greet me!" Lee grinned. They nodded affirmative before standing to leave. Hugs were exchanged and the trio of girls left the house, turning to wave before they shut the door.

"It was nice of them to come over," Sakura sighed, standing. She waved Lee aside. "It's okay. I want to fix myself a sandwich anyway."

"Okay." Even so, he watched her like a hawk as she moved slowly into the kitchen holding the tray out in front of her. She placed it on the bench and proceeded to make herself a salmon, lettuce, beetroot, cucumber and olive sandwich with extra mayonnaise. When she brought it out to the lounge room to eat she saw that Lee was slumped over the arm of the couch, fast asleep. Smiling, she sat at the other end and tucked into her sandwich.

o.O.o

"Hey Neji. Hey guys."

"Hey."

Hinata took her shoes off outside and walked inside barefoot, taking stock of her own lounge room. Several chip and chocolate packets littered the floor as well as an array of soft drink bottles and plastic cups. Neji, Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba, Choji and Shikamaru were sitting around the television playing video games. Shaking her head, Hinata moved behind Neji.

"Where's chichi?" she asked.

"Dropping Hanabi off at her violin lesson." Neji didn't look away from the screen. Hinata glanced at Kiba, hoping he'd greet her, but he was thoroughly engrossed in his match with Neji, Choji and Shikamaru. Shikamaru seemed to be winning, even though his eyes were half-closed and his movements were slow.

She walked up the hallway and into her room, where she tossed her bag onto her bed and sat on the floor, untying her shoelaces. Her finger caught against one of the ties and she cursed softly, brushing her hair from her face.

"Hey beautiful, and you thought I forgot you." Kiba leant against the doorframe, head tilted and smiling wolfishly.

"I did actually," Hinata replied, taking off one shoe and tossing it across the room. Kiba moved in front of her and sat down cross-legged.

"How was your time with the girls?" he asked.

"Oh, it was great. We went to visit Sakura and Lee and you wouldn't believe how _big_ she's gotten!"

He stared blankly. "Big? As in… what?"

She jumped guiltily, forgetting that Kiba didn't know. Shino had probably picked up on it already, but Kiba could be a bit dense at times. Okay, so she wasn't supposed to tell people, but this was _Kiba_. Everyone else knew so it was only fair. "She uh… she's pregnant. Eight months."

"No way." He gaped. "Who's the chichi?"

"Lee."

"Wait, so they're finally together?"

"I know right? They got together on Christmas."

Kiba snickered. "We've been dating for longer. So… she's legit pregnant?"

"It's legit. The baby's name is Keiko and she's coming in a month."

"I take it the others all know."

"Yeah…"

"And I'm last?"

"Yeah…"

"Sounds about right." He rubbed his face. "Wow, how old is she? Sixteen? And they're having a baby? And Lee's staying? I've gotta hand it to them: they're brave."

Hinata nodded and returned her attention to her shoe, trying to untie the elusive lace. "They're lucky to have each other. Without Lee, Sakura would've aborted the baby. They both quit school and he works at the gym to support them."

"I've seen him there." Kiba nodded. "You're right. They'd need each other in this situation. I'm glad Sakura finally saw reason and went for Lee instead of Sasuke. We can all agree he wasn't right for her."

"And how long did it take for you to see reason?" she asked teasingly, succeeding in her task and pushing her shoe across the floor to join its twin.

"Too long. I could've been with you for a year already but I was too darn stupid." Kiba smiled and Hinata got onto her hands and knees, leaning forward to kiss him. He returned the kiss eagerly, leaning back on one hand while the other cupped her face. With her hands on the sides of his thighs, she felt very bold.

Meanwhile in the lounge room, Neji heard his chichi enter through the door. "Afternoon chichi," he greeted, pausing the game to turn and nod.

Hiashi looked at him distractedly. "Is Hinata home?"

"Yeah, she's in her room."

Hiashi started down the hallway and Neji realised his mistake. Kiba had gone in there minutes ago. Hiashi was going to _freak_ when he saw Kiba and Hinata in the same room, alone. Neji inched along the couch, wanting to be as far away as possible when his chichi exploded. His friends sensed what was going to happen and fell silent.

"HINATA HYUGA!"

The teenagers jumped apart at Hiashi's roar. Hinata nearly fainted when she saw her chichi standing in the doorway, shaking with fury. Kiba froze completely.

"Ch-chichi… hi… we w-were just…"

"DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO DO THAT?!"

Kiba found his voice. "I'm her boyfriend!" he said indignantly.

Steam blew from Hiashi's ears and Hinata couldn't squash the fear that curdled in her belly. "SHE DOESN'T HAVE A BOYFRIEND UNTIL I SAY SHE CAN! WHICH IS NEVER! GET OUT OF HERE!"

"I'm not going anywhere," Kiba replied, surprisingly calm.

"Kiba, just go. Let me talk to him."

"If you want me to…"

"GET OUT!"

"Okay!" Kiba stood and darted from the room, barely pausing to grab his shoes when he rushed outside.

Hiashi rounded on Hinata. "When did this start?" he asked in a quieter – but still angry – voice.

"During the winter holidays. You can't forbid me to see him!"

"I can. You're grounded. You're leaving home just to go to school and _that's_ _it_."

"For how long?"

"As long as I say so. You're too young to have a boyfriend and this boy is just toying with you."

"He's not! Kiba really likes me and we're not stupid enough to throw around the 'love' word because we wouldn't mean it yet! It's been nearly five months and all we've done is kiss, I swear!"

Hiashi glanced at her suspiciously, some of the tension draining from his stance. "Were you two really building a dog kennel or was that a cover?"

"No, we actually made the kennel. We did nothing but make the kennel." She could sense him calming down, though he would be fuming for a few more days. A sudden thought struck her. If she couldn't go anywhere, how was she going to get to the hospital when Sakura went into labour?

"Chichi-"

"You're grounded until I say so. Neji is going to make sure you two don't sit together in class. He's a good boy and he doesn't waste his time with teen romance."

Wow… he was really in the dark on _everything_. Hinata bit down her retort and bowed her head. "I'm sorry for disappointing you chichi, but you can't help who you fall for."

Hiashi stared for a moment longer before stalking from her room and the house, obviously to check if Kiba was still on the property. Hinata tip-toed from her room and joined the boys in the lounge room.

"Kiba got owned," Naruto murmured.

"Neji will get owned too once chichi finds out about Tenten." Hinata snickered. "He said 'Neji's a good boy and doesn't waste his time with teenage romance'."

Neji paled. "I'm going to die."

"It's not as bad for a guy," Sasuke shrugged. "That's what my hahaoya told me." They quietened as Hiashi's stomping footsteps approached the front door. Hinata darted back into her room and shut the door behind her, diving straight for her phone so she could hide it. There was an old Samsung she had that didn't actually work, but when Hiashi asked for her phone she'd give him that one. That way she could still talk to Kiba outside of school.

She sighed and put the old phone on her desk in plain view. Well, it could have gone worse.

Suddenly, she was really glad that it was Sakura and not her that was pregnant.


	16. Chapter 15

The big day has finally arrived for Sakura and Lee! Let's hope everything goes smoothly...

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 15**

The end of the first week of term two was near. It was Friday and Ino stared at the clock, waiting for Humanities to end. That class hadn't been the same since Sakura left and Ino couldn't even sit next to Choji because the teacher said so, so she sat with Naruto instead. He really was a sweet boy and she knew why Sasuke had fallen for him.

"Are you okay, Ino?" Naruto whispered, hoping that Zabuza wouldn't hear them over the sound of the video playing.

"I'm fine." She fidgeted in her seat. "Sakura's really close to her due date and I'm a bit skittish."

"I really hope everything goes well." The blonde boy smiled and Ino felt at ease. "It wouldn't be fair otherwise."

The video on Israel ended and Zabuza closed the program. "Based on the worksheets you filled out while watching the video, you're to write a paragraph explaining why the differences between Muslims and Jews started the war between Israel. I'm expecting you to mention Jewish displacement and their eventual return to Israel, as well as Jewish refugees in World War II. You can get started now."

Ino looked down at her worksheet which was mostly filled out, but she'd missed the last few questions. "Well it looks like I'm having fun tonight," she said sarcastically. "Why does school have to be so horrible?"

"It's better than the real world." Naruto shrugged and closed his books. Just before the bell rang, Ino felt her pocket vibrate. She ignored it and darted to the door as soon as the bell sounded, as she had dim sum today and couldn't wait to eat it.

She joined with Hinata and Tenten on their way to the tree where they sat now. Tenten was complaining about the tougher-than-usual workout in HPE and Hinata was still grumpy about being grounded. At least Neji was grounded too now, but that meant they spent more time together and drove each other crazy.

They sat down with the boys and Hinata and Tenten immediately gravitated towards their boyfriends. Ino stood uncertainly before sitting with Shino, as Choji was probably still deciding what drink to buy. She bit into her first dim sum and took out her phone to check the message. The phone dropped from her limp fingers and everyone stared.

"Hinata, Tenten, check your phones," she whispered, suddenly not hungry anymore. Her friends did as she said and gasped at the message on their screens.

"Sakura's gone into labour!" Hinata squeaked. "We have to get to the hospital!"

"Who has a car?" Tenten demanded.

"I do." Shikamaru yawned.

"My brother does," Sasuke offered.

"That's okay Sasuke." Ino smiled and turned to Shikamaru. "Can you drive?"

"Yeah, I'm seventeen."

"It's a good thing you finally got the motivation to actually do something. Shikamaru, you're taking the three of us to the hospital and back here before lunch finishes. We only need ten minutes or so to talk to Sakura."

Shikamaru stood slowly and waved for the girls to join him. "Come on, off to the hospital we go."

The boys watched the group of four rush off to the car-park, hoping that the birth was smooth and nothing bad would happen.

o.O.o

Sakura sat on the lounge room couch, gritting her teeth against the pain. Kizashi was in her room, frantically flipping through all her pregnancy books to find out what it meant when the contractions started becoming closer together four days before her due date. Everyone knew that Keiko wasn't due until Tuesday.

"Chichi, this shouldn't be happening!" she whimpered. "It's too soon! I can't be giving birth yet!"

"We have to make sure before we call the ambulance!" Kizashi shouted. Last week, Sakura had two contractions within one hour and she'd started panicking, thinking she was going into labour. When the contractions didn't continue, Mebuki was able to pry Kizashi's fingers from the phone.

"I think it's really happening!" She hunched over in the chair, crying out. Fear sent waves of cold throughout her body and she forced her mind to remember the prenatal classes. She took a deep breath and stood, hoping to ease some of the aching muscles in her shoulders and back. A powerful contraction forced her to her knees and she gasped, sweat breaking across her skin. "Chichi!"

Kizashi came barrelling out of the hallway. "I'm calling the ambulance." For a moment they both wished Mebuki was there with them, but she was at work. "I'm calling the ambulance and then your hahaoya and Lee."

"Hurry…" Sakura whimpered and sat on the floor, holding her belly close. Kizashi grabbed the phone and dialled the hospital.

"Hello, this is Kizashi Haruno. My daughter has just gone into labour and I need an ambulance sent to this address immediately." He gave the address and waited for confirmation before hanging up and dialling Mebuki's work number by memory. "Hey, it's Kizashi Haruno. I need to speak with my wife, Mebuki. It's urgent." He waited a moment. "Honey, Sakura's gone into labour and we're getting an ambulance. Go and get Lee. I'll call him." He hung up and dialled Lee's number, waiting for several moments before the other end was answered. "Lee, Sakura's gone into labour. Mebuki's picking you up. Sit tight."

Sakura cried out in alarm. "Chichi!"

Kizashi rushed to the lounge room and saw a mess of liquid pooling beneath her. "Blossom? What happened?"

"My water just broke!" She sucked in a breath of fear and Kizashi knelt beside her, rubbing her back gently.

"The ambulance is on its way," he assured her. "Your hahaoya and Lee will be at the hospital too. We'll be okay."

She breathed deeply and felt her muscles tremoring as the next contraction started. "Thanks chichi. I love y- ah!" She doubled over as the contraction hit full-force and Kizashi looked at the clock worriedly, wondering if his granddaughter would wait until the ambulance arrived.

o.O.o

Lee was panicking. He paced across his lounge room, peering out the window every few seconds, hoping for Mebuki to appear.

He hadn't heart from Sakura today. She'd been feeling off lately and he didn't want to stress her out, so he stayed home and did yoga. Gai was at work and the morning had been uneventful until the call from Kizashi. _Sakura was in labour_. _She was going to give birth to their baby_. The thought made him weak at the knees and he was filled with fear for his blossom. Please let her be okay…

Mebuki pulled into the driveway with a screech and Lee dived into the front seat without bothering to clip in his seatbelt. The car was on the road before his door was even closed and she shot off towards the hospital, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. It was a public hospital in the middle of the city and traffic was thick with workers going out for lunch. Lee's legs thumped against the bottom of the car impatiently as Mebuki zig-zagged her way through the traffic to the huge hospital.

"I'll drop you off and go find a spot," Mebuki snapped, jerking to a stop outside the hospital's front doors. Lee leapt outside without a glance and barrelled past a pair of middle-aged women, only to smack into the automatic doors and bounce off onto the floor. The two women rushed to help him.

"Are you okay?" one asked. "You're in a hurry!"

"I need to find Sakura…" he gasped, getting to his feet and darting through the doors. He ran into the reception desk, flushed and panting. "Please, I need to get to Sakura Haruno. She's giving birth."

The receptionist took one look at his panic and typed as fast as she could, eyes flying across the screen. "She's in room 7H on the fourth floor in the left wing; it's not hard to find." She smiled softly at him. "Good luck."

"Have you got the room?" Mebuki called, rushing through the door with handbag flying out behind her.

"Yes! Follow me!" He ran to the elevator and punched in the fourth floor, heart racing as it moved upwards irritatingly slowly. When the doors opened he turned left and ran through the corridors, counting up the numbers until he found 7H. He slammed the door open and saw Sakura lying on a hospital bed wearing a blue hospital gown. Kizashi stood at the bedside holding both her hands and his face was white.

"Honey!" Mebuki rushed to Kizashi and hugged him tight while Lee stood beside Sakura and grasped her hands.

"Are you alright?" he asked quickly.

"No." A thick sheen of sweat coated her skin and she squeezed his hands tight as another contraction hit. "I can't wait for some pain pills."

Mebuki glanced at her husband worriedly. "When did the contractions start? She was fine when I left this morning."

"Around an hour after you left. She thought they were normal until they started hurting more. We decided to wait until we were sure. Her water broke just after I hung up on Lee." He winced. "It'll be fun to get out of the carpet."

Lee kissed Sakura's forehead as she moaned in pain. "I wish I could take on your pain right now."

"I wouldn't give it to you. Ever." She took several deep breaths. "Are you ready to be a chichi?"

"As long as I am with you. We will get through this." He hated to see her in pain like this, but there was nothing he could do.

Someone knocked on the door and everyone turned to see a pretty young woman with jet-black hair wearing a nurse's uniform. "Good afternoon," she greeted. "My name is Shizune and I am your nurse for today. The midwife will be here shortly."

"Hi, nice to meet you." Sakura's breath hitched as another contraction hit. Shizune frowned in concern and stepped forward, taking out a clipboard that had been tucked under her arm. She checked Sakura's pulse and blood pressure and made a few notes on her clipboard.

"Once Midwife Tsunade comes we'll know if you can take something for the pain." Shizune touched Sakura's shoulder before leaving the room; probably to find the midwife.

Mebuki wrapped her hand around Sakura's wrist, as both her hands were being held by Lee. "How are you feeling?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm scared," Sakura whispered, trying to put on a brave face. Lee brushed his thumb over the back of her hand.

"I am here beside you, no matter what. You and our daughter will both be fine." Lee smiled and she tried to smile, but another contraction rippled through her body and she grimaced instead.

The contraction ended and Shizune knocked on the door again. "Excuse me Miss Haruno, you have some friends who have come to see you."

"Can they come in?" Sakura asked, not moving from her reclined position. Shizune nodded and left the room, her place taken by Ino, Hinata and Tenten. The three frantic girls rushed to her side, eyes wide with fear.

"Lee texted and we got here as fast as we could!" Tenten panted. "Are you okay? Is it painful?"

"No I'm not okay and yes it's painful." She managed a weak smile. "I'm so glad you're here."

"When's she coming?" Hinata asked, her hands resting lightly on Sakura's belly. She gasped as Keiko kicked beneath her palms.

"I don't know. It really depends on how eager the little one is to see the world."

The three girls pushed Lee aside and enveloped Sakura in a group hug. She blinked at the suddenness of it but returned the hug. Lee watched them nervously, hoping a contraction wouldn't start while the girls were there.

"You're so brave," Hinata murmured. "We're here for you no matter what. Well, um, I'm not until chichi un-grounds me."

"Thanks guys. It really means a lot to me."

Lee watched the four girls interact and felt a sudden stab of impatience. He just wanted this to be over and for Sakura to feel better but birth took time and rushing it was bad. When Sakura doubled over with another contraction the girls stepped away to give her room. Tenten looked at Lee.

"You holding up okay?" she asked.

"I wish it was over," he confessed. "I do not like standing around while Sakura is hurting."

"Just stay calm for her. We support you." She hugged Lee and he glanced over her head at Sakura, who had Ino and Hinata holding her hands.

A few more minutes passed and Shizune returned with a woman who was most likely the midwife. She was middle-aged with short blonde hair and a stern expression. Her eyebrow raised as she saw how many people were in the room.

"I'm afraid that only family members can stay from now on," the midwife explained. "Friends need to go." She saw their school uniforms. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

Ino glanced at the other two. "Yeah, we should be getting back. Hopefully lunch won't have finished."

"You ran off during lunch?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

"Yeah… Shikamaru drove us. Call us when you've got news. Good luck." Ino dragged her friends from the room and they waved as the door closed behind them.

"We love you!" Tenten shouted through the door. The midwife turned to Lee and her eyebrow rose even more.

"Please let him stay," Mebuki said hastily. "He's the chichi."

"I am not leaving," Lee declared.

"The chichi may stay." The midwife's eyebrow dropped and she smiled warmly as she pulled on some rubber gloves. "Shizune, could you please get me the sonogram?" She moved to Sakura's side and Mebuki stepped back. "My name is Tsunade and I am your midwife. You have nothing to worry about; I've delivered lots of babies before and I'm sure everything will go fine." She smiled again as Shizune brought the machine over. "I'm going to perform an ultrasound to see what's going on in there, so I need you to lift up your dress for me, okay honey?"

"Okay." Sakura bit her lip and lifted up her dress to expose her belly, averting her gaze. It was the second time in a month she'd exposed her most private part to a stranger. The first was two weeks ago when she went to the doctors for an examination to see how the birth canal was looking. She still felt insanely awkward about it.

Tsunade went to squirt some of the ultrasound gel on Sakura's stomach but a contraction rippled. Once it was past, Tsunade put the gel on and ran the scanner over Sakura's belly. It was stark cold against her heated skin. Tsunade smiled after a moment of looking at the sonogram screen. "Everything looks great! She's in the right position and the umbilical cord isn't tangled. As far as I can tell right now, you'll have a smooth birth."

Sakura sighed in relief. "Let's hope so."

"When was your due date?"

"Tuesday; four days from now."

Tsunade nodded. "She's a good size. Shizune…" As she removed the scanner, Shizune moved the equipment back and cleaned Sakura's stomach with a paper towel. "Now I need to check your opening to see when you're right to push." Sakura held her breath as Tsunade lowered her head to examine her most private spot. Lee kissed her hand but it did nothing to alleviate her awkwardness.

"How's it looking?" Mebuki asked anxiously.

"You're only three centimetres, honey." Tsunade stepped back and Sakura lowered her legs. "I'll be coming back every hour to check on you. Do you need anything for the pain?"

"Please," she begged as another contraction hit. "Will it… will it… hurt her?"

"No. Shizune will give you a needle and I'll be back in an hour." She looked at the other three. "You should get comfortable. I don't think your girl will be making an appearance for ten hours at least."

"Okay." Mebuki nodded and smiled. Tsunade threw her gloves in the bin and left the room, taking Shizune's clipboard with her.

o.O.o

The next twelve hours were intense. Sakura only got snatches of broken sleep in between the contractions and hourly check-ups. Lee hadn't left her side and pulled a chair up beside the bed so he could sit comfortably. Kizashi and Mebuki had gone to the hospital cafeteria during the second hour to get some food and caffeine. Lee gratefully accepted the food but refused caffeine, as he didn't want to get hyper.

Her parents were dozing off in a set of armchairs on the other side of the room when Tsunade and Shizune reappeared for the next ultrasound. By that time it was one o'clock in the morning and Sakura just wanted to get it over with. She'd been in labour for almost twelve hours already.

Tsunade bent down to check her dilation. She stood up and went to a compartment underneath the sonogram machine, where she and Shizune pulled out scrubs, masks and plastic gloves. Everyone stirred as the nurse and midwife got dressed.

"You're at nine centimetres," Tsunade said, tying on her mask. "I need all of you to get dressed in scrubs quickly." Her parents and Lee hurried to get changed and Shizune wrapped several bands around Sakura's arms that were attached to tubes. The machines at the head of the bed whirred to life, displaying her heart rate, blood pressure, contractions and breathing. She pressed a sticker on Sakura's belly that would measure her baby's heart rate roo. Sakura laid back and closed her eyes, her shallow breaths easing as Lee gripped both her hands tight.

"I believe in you, blossom," he said behind the mask. "You can do this."

Shizune saw the spike in Sakura's heart rate as a contraction took hold. "Push!" she ordered. Sakura did as she was told, grunting with the effort. It felt like she was trying to empty her bowels and it wasn't coming out.

This went on for twenty minutes. Sweat and anxiety filled the room as Sakura pushed until she was nearing complete exhaustion. It had been a taxing day and she was suddenly regretting ever thinking she could do this. Then Lee squeezed her hands and she found the resolve to keep pushing. Mebuki and Kizashi stood to the side, ready to follow orders in case something went wrong.

"You're strong enough to get that baby out!" Mebuki shouted suddenly.

"Just a little more," Lee begged, wincing as she nearly broke his hand when she started to push. Tsunade waited between her legs with a warm towel, ready to catch the baby when it came out. She checked the clock and prayed that the little girl would make an appearance soon, otherwise they'd have to rush Sakura in for an emergency C-section and who knows what would happen then. Nothing seemed to be wrong and Tsunade hoped that the baby was just being stubborn. Still, it didn't hurt to check.

"Shizune, bring the sonogram machine over," she ordered. "I might have to take a look." Just as Shizune went to get the machine, Tsunade saw the baby's head appear. "Wait! It's coming! I can see the head."

Shizune returned to her position and noted the rise in heart rate. "Contraction," she called. Sakura held onto Lee's hands like a lifeline and pushed.

"You're almost there," Tsunade said. "I can see the head. Keep on pushing."

"Contraction."

Sakura cried out as she pushed harder than before with strength she never knew she had. Lee was yelling with her and the contraction ended, leaving her breathless.

"You're almost there blossom," Mebuki whispered, kissing Sakura's sweat-soaked forehead. Kizashi brushed some damp locks of hair away and she looked up at her parents, mouthing 'I love you'.

"One more push."

"Contraction."

She heaved again, giving everything she had into this final stand. One moment her insides were tensed up and the next they released, the pain and pressure immediately disappearing. She panted and slumped back against the pillows, feeling everything rush out of her.

Tsunade caught the newborn in the towel and wrapped it around the baby loosely. "That's it. You did very well." She smiled at the exhausted girl. "The birth was perfectly smooth and your baby is…"

There was a very long pause as everyone stared at the newborn. It twitched and opened its mouth, the most beautiful sound exiting its blood-speckled lips.

"… perfectly healthy. Miss Haruno, I'd like to introduce you to your daughter."


	17. Chapter 16

Only a couple more chapters to go... it's sad because I had so much fun writing this!

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 16**

Keiko wailed and squirmed as Tsunade placed her in Sakura's arms for the first time. Tears joined the perspiration on her face and she took Keiko in shaky hands, holding the baby like she was about to break. Kizashi and Mebuki grabbed each other and hugged tight, sobbing in relief. Lee raised a gently hand and touched Keiko's tiny palm with his finger, sucking in a breath when she tightened her hand around his finger in reflex.

"She's beautiful," Sakura breathed.

"She is perfect. I am glad the birth was so smooth." Lee removed his face mask and kissed Sakura's forehead first, then Keiko's. "We have created a life, Sakura."

"It's so hard to fathom, but it's happened." She smiled tiredly, her body beginning to throb as the adrenaline rush wore off. "We're parents. You're a chichi now." Her head fell back against the pillow in exhaustion and Lee pried Keiko from her grip, cradling his daughter close.

Tsunade stepped close and opened Sakura's eyelid with a gloved finger, shining a torch at the pupil. She nodded, satisfied with what she saw there. "You should rest, Miss Haruno. If you like, we'll take your daughter into the next room to clean her off while you have a shower yourself."

Sakura stirred, unsure. "Me… separating from her?"

"Only for a few minutes," Tsunade assured her. "You both need to be washed. Then she will need feeding." She turned to Shizune. "Nurse, could you please bring in an incubator and set it up?"

"Yes ma'am." Shizune disappeared next door and wheeled an incubator inside, proceeding to plug it in and flick several switches.

Tsunade laid a gentle hand on Sakura's shoulder. "I need to check you over to make sure everything's in order. Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah…" Her eyes fluttered as sleep threatened and the throbbing became worse.

"How are you feeling?" The midwife began to look over Sakura to make sure there was no bleeding and that her heart rate and blood level were returning to normal.

"So tired and sore…" Sakura licked her lips. "And thirsty."

Mebuki immediately rushed outside to the nearest water cooler to get some water. Tsunade nodded at Sakura's words, as labour was a taxing activity: mentally, emotionally and physically. "What are you calling her?" she asked, checking the final monitor.

"Keiko," Lee replied. "Keiko Haruno."

Tsunade nodded. "It's a pretty name. Well Miss Haruno, you're all in order." She turned to Lee. "If you don't mind Mister…"

"Rock Lee."

"Mister Lee, if you don't mind I'd like to take Keiko next door for cleaning. She won't be hurt. It's just to get all the liquid and blood off her and dress her in some warm clothes."

Keiko began to cry, legs and arms flailing in the blanket. Lee hesitantly handed her over to the midwife. "Okay. I will take Sakura to the shower. Come here, blossom."

"I don't know," she said uncertainly, watching as Tsunade exited the room with Keiko in her arms.

"You will feel better. They are setting up an incubator and she will sleep in the room with us."

Sakura looked at Shizune, who was still busily working on the incubator. "Okay. I need to change clothes anyway."

Lee gathered her in his arms, knowing from research that she shouldn't be walking right now. He carried her to the adjoining bathroom and Kizashi closed the door behind them before going to strip the bed, as new sheets were needed. Lee lowered Sakura into the shower cell and pulled the hospital gown over her head, noting that she wore nothing underneath. She leant against the wall tiredly, legs shaking slightly, and Lee took the shower head and began to wash her down.

"I don't like leaving Keiko alone for one second," Sakura admitted. "I know I need a shower and everything but…"

"I understand. Midwife Tsunade is good at her job and she will not let any harm befall our daughter. For the moment let me care for you. You just went through a harrowing ordeal and you must rest."

"Have I told you recently just how much I love you?" she turned her head to look into his eyes, a slow smile spreading across her face.

"Have I told you that I love you?"

"You did." She rested her head against the wall as Lee washed her sweat-crusted arms. "I can't believe it," she murmured. "We have a baby together."

"I know."

"I couldn't've done this without you, Lee. Words can't express how grateful I am."

"I do not need words." He stroked her wet face softly. "I know you are. And I am grateful to you for accepting me. I believe that together we can accomplish great things."

"You're so cliché."

"Always." He finished washing her and found a towel in the cupboard underneath the sink, using it to dry her as best as possible. She winced every time he touched her stomach so he avoided that area. Then he found another hospital garb underneath the sink and dressed her, taking off his own socks and tugging them onto her feet to keep them warm. The socks might be a little smelly but they would stop her feet from freezing during the night.

He carried her back outside and laid her on the freshly-made bed, kissing her forehead. His exhausted girlfriend collapsed against the pillow, eyes drooping despite her best efforts to stay awake.

Mebuki came through the door with a tray of food from the hospital cafeteria. Sakura's eyes opened wide as the tray was placed on her bedside table. Mebuki reached underneath the bed and tugged a small table from underneath, bringing it around entirely so it hovered just above Sakura's lap. The tray as set on the small table and Sakura devoured it, not realising how hungry she was. She barely tasted the food. Even better, Mebuki had brought her a bottle of water, which she finished within a minute.

"That was good." She burped appreciatively and glanced at the door. "Do you think they're done?"

"She'll be dressing Keiko warmly," Mebuki told her. "Newborns can't regulate body temperature like we can, so we have to keep them warm at all times."

"It's a good thing summer's approaching," Kizashi joked, wrapping an arm around his wife.

Tsunade entered with Keiko, the baby now wearing a pink jumpsuit. She deposited her in her hahaoya's arms. "She's hungry. Do you know how to properly feed her?"

"I do." Sakura pushed her garb aside and lifted Keiko's face to her breast. The child's mouth found its goal and she suckled happily, staring up at Sakura with wide green eyes. Tufts of pink hair dotted her now-clean head and Sakura admired how flawless her skin was. Mebuki bent down and touched her granddaughter's forehead softly, prompting the baby to glance up at her.

"She looks so much like you," Mebuki whispered.

"Thank you hahaoya, and chichi, for everything." Sakura held back tears and smiled weakly, the exhaustion taking hold again. Then her eyes turned on her newborn daughter and a very strange feeling coursed through her body, unlike anything she'd felt before. All the other people in the room seemed to disappear and only Keiko existed. Green eyes met green eyes and Sakura's heart raced as she realised what the feeling was. It was a hahaoya's love. At that moment, she knew she'd do anything to keep her daughter safe. Another presence intruded their bubble and Lee placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder tenderly. She had everything she ever needed right here in the room. The emotion made her throat constrict and she bent her head slightly to kiss Keiko's forehead. "Hahaoya loves you," she whispered, closing her eyes.

Lee held out his finger and Keiko grabbed it, her eyes turning to him. "Chichi loves you too," he murmured, his eyes suddenly watering. Their tender moment was broken when they were deposited back into reality.

Kizashi tapped his wife's shoulder. "I don't know about you, but I could do with something to eat. We best leave the parents to do their thing for a while. And so Sakura can get some sleep."

Keiko lowered her mouth, having drunk her fill, and some milk dripped down her cheeks. Sakura wiped it away fondly. Her parents smiled and left the room, thanking Tsunade as they passed.

Tsunade approached Lee. "If you don't mind, I'd like to show you how to put your child in the incubator and what settings are appropriate."

Lee lifted Keiko and smiled. "It is alright, Sakura. You need to rest. I will call our friends and tell them the good news."

Sakura nodded tiredly and fixed her eyes on the midwife. "Tsunade… thank you for delivering our baby."

"It was my pleasure." She smiled. "Now you sleep." She ushered Lee over to the incubator, where she began to explain the details of use. Sakura closed her eyes and fell asleep within seconds.

o.O.o

The next week passed very quickly. Sakura adjusted to her child while Lee and her parents were busily helping Lee move into their house and doing last-minute cleaning. Lee came to visit every day and had stayed with her nearly every night.

Now she was free of the hospital and her friends had come over to see Keiko for the first time. It was slightly nerve-wracking to have all her friends looking at the baby and she wondered if they were judging her, though they didn't say anything.

Ino's first words belayed any fear Sakura felt. "Oh my goodness… she's so cute!"

Tenten joined in. "You guys made an adorable baby!"

Hinata touched Keiko's head lightly, gasping at the softness of her hair. "She's beautiful."

She let out a sigh of relief, resting back against Lee's body. His arms automatically wrapped around her waist. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that," she said.

"We were concerned that you would stop approving of our decision," Lee continued, rubbing his hands over Sakura's still-enlarged belly. A sigh escaped her lips and she felt so… so content in his arms, especially with their baby curled up in the crib next to them.

"And why would we do that?" Ino raised her eyebrow. "You're making us aunties, remember?"

"Plus how can we say no to that gorgeous face?" Tenten chuckled and bent down, blowing a raspberry on Keiko's cheek. The newborn stared up at her in confusion. Hinata nudged Tenten aside and laid her hand on the baby's face, stroking the soft skin fondly.

"She's so soft! I'm glad the birth went well. I know someone who had to get a C-section and they couldn't walk around for weeks!"

"Yeah, I can walk without help now." Sakura shuddered. "It was so awful having to rely on other people so I could go to the toilet! But I have to say… they have some great toilets there. Women who've just given birth shouldn't wipe after they pee, otherwise it hurts like hell, so the hospital installed this really cool system that sprayed water up so I didn't have to wipe!"

"Too much information," Tenten groaned, making a face.

"But hey, when you have little Hyuga children it'll be a relief to know that you don't have to wipe."

"Who says I'm having little Hyuga children?"

"We do." Sakura grinned evilly. "I want to be an auntie too you know."

"But who says they'll be Hyuga children?"

"Just a hunch." Hinata giggled. "I'd love to have you as a sister-in-law!"

"You guys are so annoying. I don't know why I bother." Tenten lowered her hands into the crib, glancing at Sakura. "May I?"

"No… I don't feel comfortable with anyone else holding her just yet," Sakura admitted. Tenten immediately withdrew her hands. "Plus, I'd have to show you the correct way to hold a baby first."

"Oh, that makes sense."

Ino rested her elbows on the crib, watching Keiko with soft eyes. "I'll bet she's keeping you up at all hours."

"We have not had a solid nights' sleep since she was born," Lee said mournfully, "but she is worth it."

"Yeah, you weren't the one who had to give birth to her." Sakura rolled her eyes but was unable to prevent a smile from breaking across her face, a smile he couldn't see from his position behind her.

"I would have if I could have, you know that."

Sakura saw the questioning gazes. "Childbirth is painful. Lee doesn't like seeing me in pain. Go fish." Nods of understanding followed her explanation.

"I reckon we should throw a party for you three," Ino said suddenly. "Like, a 'Congratulations' gathering."

"I do not want a party," Lee said immediately.

"Me neither. You could come over for dinner soon, if you like, but no party. We'll be too busy taking care of this little one and Lee has work."

Hinata's phone vibrated and she whipped it out, squeaking in terror. "It's from Neji! Chichis on his way back from his meeting! I have to get home right away!"

"Still grounded?" Sakura asked as she hugged her friend.

"Yeah… Neji promised to cover for me because he understands how important this is to me." Hinata hugged Lee and waved goodbye to everyone else before racing out the door, where she grabbed her bike from where it leant against the garage and rode away. She didn't even bother to put on her helmet.

"Nice to know she has good siblings," Ino said absently. "I wish I had a sister… or even a brother!" She narrowed her eyes at the parents. "I hope you intend to give Keiko some siblings!"

"At some stage." Sakura shrugged. "Just let us get through this one first. Though I'm glad you think I'd make a good hahaoya."

"You have a baby at sixteen. You two make a cute couple and amazingly brave parents."

Lee wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist again, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Thank you for your praise."

Sakura had to admit, it did feel good to have her friends believing in her and Lee, as well as fawning over Keiko. She was filled with pride at their compliments for her daughter. _Her_ daughter. _Hers and Lee's_. It still felt a little unreal that it was actually happening; ten months ago she was a normal teenager in a relationship with one of the most popular boys in school. Now she had a baby and was deeply in love with her best friend. Much to her surprise, it felt so _right_ , just like the way she felt right now: nestled in his arms with their baby falling asleep right next to them.

"How are you two coping?" Ino asked curiously.

"Um… well, we're okay. Not much sleep, but hahaoya is such a great help. She's been trying to set up a routine for us." Sakura's eyes lit up. "Plus, tomorrow night is Saturday night and that's Grandpa Gai's night."

"I have not seen him since I moved here," Lee sighed. "I miss him. Grandpa Gai Saturday's are a fantastic idea."

Ino peered at the bags under their eyes. "You guys look exhausted. We should go."

"No, you can stay-"

"I'm taking you up on that offer for dinner. How does Saturday sound?"

"I'd have to ask hahaoya…"

"Well I'm in!" Tenten beamed. "Give me the time and I'll come. Do I need to bring a platter?"

"I'd have to ask hahaoya."

"She'll say yes," Ino said dismissively. "Well we'll head off for now and you can ask your hahaoya about it. It was great to see you all."

Hugs were exchanged and Keiko had both her cheeks pinched (though she didn't wake up). Sakura and Lee walked their friends to the door and waved as they headed down the path to wherever they were going.

"I'm glad they're on our side," Sakura murmured as she and Lee went back to the nursery. "Keiko needs some aunties to spoil her."

"She has no uncles," Lee said almost sadly. "I suppose Neji, Kiba and Choji are honourary uncles… but there is no guarantee that they will remain that way for very long. You know how teenage romance can often turn out."

"Not for us and not for them. Besides, it's nice that they're finding love too." Sakura turned to face Lee. "I know we did."

"I will never trade what we have for anything in the world," he said honestly. They both smiled and met halfway for a tender kiss, which quickly turned very passionate with the intent of moving on to something better.

Sakura broke off before it escalated. "Can we wait until I'm fully-healed?" she asked guiltily. "I'm still very tender."

"As long as you need, blossom."

Thankfully he didn't use a cheesy 'I will wait for a thousand years' line, otherwise Sakura would have groaned loud enough to wake Keiko. She had a limit on how many overly-romantic lines Lee could use in a five-minute window.

o.O.o

Lee was keeping a huge secret from Sakura. He'd been keeping it to himself for four-and-a-half months but now he couldn't keep silent.

Sakura and Keiko were both sleeping. Lee stroked his girlfriend's hair and smiled at her peaceful face, eyes drifting to her round stomach. It would take a while for the mound to go down and then Sakura would probably work hard to get rid of the pregnancy fat (he didn't understand why it was such a big deal; she looked gorgeous even _with_ the extra weight). His gaze switched to the wall that separated their room from the nursery. After a quick calculation, he reasoned that Keiko would wake in half an hour, as she normally slept a few hours and then woke up for food or a nappy change. Newborns had a light sleeping cycle.

He stood slowly so Sakura wouldn't wake and went to the kitchen, where he proceeded to boil a jug of water. While that boiled, he filled up the sink with hot soapy water and started to wash up all the feeding equipment, as it had to be washed each time before Keiko was fed.

Kizashi came home as Lee set the bottle, teat, retaining ring and cap to dry and brought the water off the boil, allowing it to cool for the next half hour.

"It's good to see you're pulling your weight," Kizashi commented, loosening his tie. "Where's Sakura?"

"She is sleeping. I wish for her to have a decent rest, as she has not been sleeping well, so I will feed Keiko when she wakes."

Kizashi looked at Lee for a long time. "I'm still not pleased that you got her pregnant at sixteen-"

"Kizashi-"

"- _but_ , I'm glad that you're the one beside her. I couldn't've asked for a better man for my daughter."

Lee immediately blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I wish to ask your permission to marry Sakura!"

Silence filled the kitchen. Kizashi gaped like a fish. "You… you're serious?"

"Well, you said something a few months ago that got me thinking… and I… bought a ring." Lee hung his head. "It completely emptied my bank account. I understand if you think it is too soon."

"No." Kizashi smiled. "I'm glad you asked my permission first. I give you my blessing. So where's this ring?"

"You will see it tomorrow night. When chichi, Ino, Hinata and Tenten are over for dinner, I plan to ask her to marry me."

"Of course, you won't be getting married at sixteen."

"Will eighteen suffice?"

"Deal. It gives you both time to adjust and wise up a little bit." Kizashi wrapped his arm around Lee's shoulder. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to her. I couldn't imagine a better son-in-law."

"Thank you, Kizashi. I am honoured to be considered your son."

"You've been considered my son for quite a few years, only now it'll be official. Now I best go and get on the computer. I've got work to do." The man stretched tiredly and glanced at the clock. "Mebuki should be home soon."

"I will make dinner once I have fed Keiko," Lee declared.

"Good on you. I'll see you then."

Kizashi left and Lee brought out an already-open packet of powdered formula, a tablespoon and a teaspoon. He then started to measure out formula in the two spoons, levelling them off with a knife and setting them down on the bench. The water had cooled down enough and he poured it into the bottle until it was half-full, then added the spoons of formula. Once the cap and teat were secured, he shook it until the formula was completely dissolved in the water.

Keiko was awake and gurgling when he appeared beside her crib. She stared up at him with bright green eyes and he picked her up gently, resting her tiny body in the crook of his arm. Her mouth opened, searching for food, and he tilted the bottle up so she could fasten her lip on the teat. Pride filled his belly as he watched her suckle, knowing that he'd created this. It was something only a parent could feel and he was glad that things had turned out like they did. He never thought he had a chance with Sakura, but Keiko had changed everything.

As Keiko suckled, Lee's thoughts drifted to his conversation with Kizashi. He'd gladly wait until they were eighteen before getting married, but he couldn't get ahead of himself. Sakura might not want to marry yet. Still… he'd spent quite a lot of time after work wandering around the jewellery stores in search of the One. Eventually – after hours of intense and painful searching – he found it. No one else knew; not even Gai. It was Lee's best-kept secret.

She began to drink slower and Lee waited patiently for her to pull away from the teat – even though it was still a quarter full. He wiped the corner of her mouth and she burped, eyelids fluttering. Lee understood the meaning and lowered her into her crib, watching fondly as she drifted off to sleep.

Then he wandered back to the kitchen, where he washed up the feeding equipment and started making dinner for the Haruno's.


	18. Chapter 17

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Chapter 17**

Hinata took a deep breath before entering her chichi's study. She had to get this just right otherwise she wouldn't make it to Sakura's dinner. It would chew her up on the inside if she wasn't able to go and even though she didn't want to incur Hiashi's wrath, she was going to do whatever it took to get to the Haruno's.

Hiashi sat at his desktop computer writing an email. His clothes were slightly rumpled but his hair was impeccable – dark lustrous hair that all his children had inherited. She watched him work for a moment, dreading the coming conversation, before gathering her courage and stepping inside.

"Chichi…" she said slowly.

"What do you want?" He sighed tiredly, spinning around in his chair. Dark bags stretched under his eyes, complimented by sallow cheeks. How long had it been since he'd had a decent-nights' sleep? He worked too hard.

"I know I'm grounded and not allowed to leave the house… but…"

"But?"

"Sakura's baby was born and she invited me to her house for dinner tonight. I need to be there to show my support."

"You're grounded." Normally Hiashi was incredibly stubborn and argumentative, but today it was merely resigned blandness.

"I know, but Kiba won't be there. The only boy there will be Lee. It's just dinner to support to a dear friend. You _know_ them."

"I'm busy. I don't have time to drive you."

That stung, as he always seemed to have enough time to drive Hanabi around. "I can ride my bike. It's not that far, really, and I haven't hung out with Lee and Sakura in ages." Okay, that was technically a lie, but how else was she going to get out of the house? She was going stir-crazy.

Hiashi was silent for a long moment, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Who will be there?"

"Sakura, her parents, Lee, Gai, Ino and Tenten."

"You can ride your bike," he said finally, "but I want you to call when you get there so I can be sure that's where you're going."

"I will. Thank you chichi." Hinata bounded to her chichi and wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing gently. He rubbed circles on her back.

"You can hang out with your friends again, but I don't want you seeing that boy. It's for your own good. Hinata, if this boy really likes you he can wait until you're eighteen before he has my permission."

She moved back and stared at him. "So you're saying… if we wait until I'm eighteen… we can go out then?"

"I want you to have an idea of what you want to do with your life before worrying about things like relationships. It's the same with Neji. I want what's best for you."

"Thank you thank you thank you!" She hugged him tight again and suddenly couldn't wait until she was eighteen.

o.O.o

"Honey! Your guests are arriving! Get out here!"

Sakura stared down at Keiko as she suckled before glancing at the door. "Keiko's just eating. I'll be down in a moment." She heard a car pull into the driveway, the front door opening and Mebuki welcoming… Ino inside. Sakura looked down at Keiko again, noting how the sucking had become more forceful, and switched breasts so she could drink her fill.

Lee stuck his head in the door. "Ino is here and Hinata just arrived. How long will you be?"

"It depends how hungry this little tyke is."

He closed the door behind him and knelt in front of his girlfriend and daughter. "I still love watching you feed her," he said softly. "There is no sight more beautiful, except perhaps your expression when you moan my na-"

"Lee!" she hissed. "Not in front of her! Babies are smarter than you think."

He grinned, leaning in to kiss her. "Keiko is busy feeding." The kiss changed when she opened her mouth, allowing him better access, but the pressure on her breast faded as Keiko finished eating.

"She's done." Sakura pulled away hastily, wiping saliva from her lip. Lee smiled triumphantly and took Keiko, moving back so Sakura could clip on a bra and pull on a shirt. "Now let's go and say hello to our guests."

The pair exited the nursery with Keiko nestled in Lee's arms. They were greeted by Ino and Hinata, who hugged them both and cooed over the baby.

"She needs to get bigger," Ino exclaimed.

Sakura stared at Hinata. "How did you escape your chichi?"

"I can meet with you as long as I don't date until I'm eighteen. I just hope Kiba can wait that long…" She looked worried.

"No sweat!" Tenten called, sauntering through the front door. "Any guy with sense would wait for you. Sorry I'm late." She grinned and enveloped the parents in tight hugs. "Traffic wasn't the best along the main road."

"Tell me about it." Ino rolled her eyes. "Chichi had to take the long back-route."

Mebuki walked into the living room, smiling at the teenagers. "There are some snacks in the dining room if you're interested."

"I'm hungry!" Sakura exclaimed, rushing to the table eagerly, where she was greeted by fruit, an assortment of cheeses with biscuits, and several dips. She dug in hungrily and when her friends joined her they completely destroyed the food. Hinata left for a minute, as she had to call her chichi, and asked Mebuki to assure him that she was at the Haruno house.

"You wouldn't believe how tough school is right now, and it's only second term!" Ino munched on some cheese and biscuits. "We've got assignments for every subject but Numeracy and the stuff we're learning in that class is brutal!"

Sakura's gaze was drawn to Keiko, who wriggled in her chichi's arms and stuffed her hand in her mouth. Lee was cooing over her in between eating and Keiko squealed with delight as he poked her stomach. Her tiny hands grabbed his finger and she pulled it into her mouth, biting down with her gums. Sakura knew that this alertness wouldn't last for long and Keiko would gradually drift off to sleep. When that happened, Lee would take her to the nursery and set her down to sleep for a couple hours.

"I take it you're glad you're not going back to school," Tenten said.

"No, I couldn't handle it. Keiko wakes at all hours of the night and we're losing sleep by the hour." Sakura rubbed her eyes in reflex. She watched fondly as Lee stood and went to the nursery, Keiko nestled in his arms. She'd never get tired of watching him with their baby – it filled her with warmth every time she saw them together and allowed her to understand why she'd fallen for him in the first place. He was, simply put, amazing.

"Sasuke was glad that everything went okay," Ino told her. "He was really concerned about your pregnancy, which is kinda weird considering how he treated you."

"I know our break-up was harsh, but we _did_ go out. I actually respect him because he didn't go behind my back with Naruto. He broke up with me first and _then_ went with Naruto. So I think we have some sort of bond… but I don't know what… and I'd feel the same in his position." She was rambling. Dammit. Hopefully they understood that she was tired and didn't want to think too hard about Sasuke.

"Maybe he did care a little bit," Hinata pointed out. "I mean, he cared enough to tell you the truth. Not every guy does that."

"But he was a jerk," Ino protested.

"Any guy who dumps your friends are jerks, Ino." Tenten rolled her eyes. "Look Sakura, he's happy for you and I won't be surprised if he comes up and asks to see Keiko. I think all the boys want to see her."

Hinata fidgeted. "Um… everyone at school knows now. They're talking about you."

"Let them talk," Sakura said fiercely. "I have my family and friends beside me and that's all that matters." She tilted her head. "What have they called me?"

"You don't want to know…" Tenten muttered darkly.

"That bad, huh?"

Lee entered the room and sat beside Sakura, proceeding to dig into the cheese and dips. "Keiko is sleeping," he said through a large mouthful of food. "She will wake in a few hours so you can see her then."

"She's such a sweetie," Hinata gushed. "I'm wondering if you two freaked my chichi out."

"Eh, well you're not on lockdown anymore." Tenten looked a bit disgruntled, as her boyfriend was in the same boat as Hinata. "That's something to cheer about."

"I'll bet you're not happy about the whole thing," Sakura sighed. "We all know how you feel about Neji. It's not fair that you have to be separated."

"I thought chichis weren't as tough on their sons! But we didn't tell Hiashi about us… so he's pissed. Still…"

"We're both going stir-crazy." Hinata ran her hands through her hair. "There's only so many video games you can play."

Mebuki entered the room and began to clear away the snack plates, which Sakura noticed were completely empty. She hadn't remembered eating that much, but Lee was rubbing his belly appreciatively (that was probably where it'd all gone). Sakura stood and automatically began clearing platters, returning her hahaoya's glare. Yes, it was Sakura's dinner, but this was her house and she was going to try and help around a lot more to repay her parents for everything they'd done.

She was in the kitchen when Gai arrived, so she was able to avoid his initial greeting of enthusiastic embraces and hand-shaking, but she didn't escape it as Gai rushed into the kitchen to sweep her and Mebuki into a huge hug.

"Here are my favourite girls!" he cried, releasing the gasping pair. Sakura pressed a hand to her stomach, smiling.

"Be glad I don't have a little one in here," she grinned. Gai shook his head.

"I wouldn't hug you nearly as tight!" He jumped over to the stove where chicken soup simmered away. "Chicken? I thought you'd go for a seafood theme."

Sakura laughed sarcastically. "Some of us can handle variety. Chichis in his study. I'll-"

"No worries! I'll fetch him myself." Gai rushed from the kitchen and Sakura, shrugging, went back to join her guests.

o.O.o

Dinner was a raucous affair. Everyone enjoyed the soup and the homemade bread that went with it. They were like a huge family with Mebuki, Kizashi and Gai as the parents and Lee, Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Tenten as the children. It seemed quite strange to Sakura, as she and Lee were definitely _not_ siblings anymore. There was a time when they were brother and sister but that was years ago.

After dinner was finished and the plates cleared away, Sakura fetched Keiko and handed her to Hinata, who really wanted to hold her. She forced herself to pass Keiko to Hinata but nothing could prevent the pang in her stomach when she handed her baby to someone else.

"She's so light," Hinata exclaimed.

"Can I hold her?" Gai asked hopefully.

Sakura and Lee exchanged a glance. "No."

Kizashi chuckled. "I can't even hold her yet. Mebuki's the only one she trusts."

"But I raised Lee as a baby," Gai protested.

"And how many times did you almost drop him?" Mebuki asked mildly. "I think you _actually_ dropped him around… a dozen times? That's what you said. Then you got me to come in and show you how to hold him properly and all that." She giggled. "How did you manage to convince the orphanage that you were a good parent when you couldn't stop dropping him?"

"I was an amateur parent." Gai looked suitably chastened.

"It is alright chichi! I turned out fine." Lee stepped in to defend his chichi and everyone smiled.

"You turned out perfect," Sakura assured him, patting his knee. The atmosphere in the room abruptly changed. Lee's eyes flicked to Kizashi, who was giving him a death-glare, and Mebuki and Gai suddenly looked incredibly awkward. She glanced between all the adults, confused, and her friends seemed uncomfortable too. "Uh… what's going on?"

Kizashi nodded slightly and Lee turned to stare at Sakura as she pulled her hand back.

"Sakura…" he murmured, grabbing her small hand between his larger ones.

"Lee… what're you doing?"

Before anyone could blink, Lee moved swiftly from his chair and onto one knee. Her heart began to pound as he rubbed his thumbs over the back of her hands. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't possibly…

"Sakura Haruno…" He paused and took a deep breath, sweat breaking out across his forehead. Her entire body was trembling. "Your parents and I agree that we should do the natural thing after having a baby together and I can think of no better way to promise to never leave you, so… will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

The entire room was silent except for shaky breaths and pounding hearts. Sakura watched as Lee pulled a ring from his pocket and stared up at her with hopeful eyes. She suddenly felt like crying. Damn post-pregnancy hormones. A million thoughts of the future ran through her head and she forced it down, realising that everyone was waiting for her to speak.

"Yes," she whispered. "I want to become your wife."

Smiling, Lee slid the ring onto her finger. It was a plain gold band with an emerald and pink diamond embedded in the top. Everyone leant in to admire it and Kizashi nodded his approval.

"You picked a good ring. Remember, you're not getting married until you're both eighteen!"

"What? Chichi!" Sakura shot her chichi a glare and he shrugged, grinning.

"It's a compromise. You need money for a wedding – two years gives you plenty of time to save."

"I guess…"

"We're the bridesmaids!" Ino declared. "You have no say in the matter."

Sakura looked at Lee and ignored everyone else, focusing all her attention on him. They were engaged. They were going to get married. She couldn't explain how she felt but it was sort of like floating on clouds and standing in a dark cave at the same time – absolutely wonderful and nerve-wracking. Marriage at eighteen had never been on her bucket list.

Exclaims of delight filled the room when they kissed slow and sweet, sealing the deal. Sakura's heart raced as he pulled away from the kiss, smiling, and Ino wolf-whistled.

"You guys are the cutest couple," Tenten gushed. Sakura grinned as Lee retook his seat beside her.

"Looks like Rock gave you a rock," Ino joked. The adults groaned.

"That was so bad," Mebuki moaned. "I'll go get dessert."

"I'll help you," Kizashi said immediately, following his wife to the kitchen.

"Show me the ring," Hinata said, leaning forward while being careful not to move Keiko too much. "It's so pretty!"

"Can I take her now?" Sakura asked, holding out her hands. Hinata handed Keiko back over and Sakura stared at her daughter in adoration. This was the beginning of something beautiful, she was sure.

Here she was, surrounded by her best friends in the world, parents who supported her and a man that loved her with everything he had. There was nothing she could do or say to express her thanks, so she decided to be there for her friends and family when they needed it. She was going to honour their faith in her and Lee by loving Keiko completely and being a good, responsible parent who put her child's needs first. All her personal desires had either been achieved or taken a back-seat to parenthood, so that was a good sign.

While her friends discussed the wedding and compared themes, Sakura leant close to Lee. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you." He kissed her temple and cupped Keiko's small head in his large hand, rubbing his thumb on her forehead. She looked sleepy and was actually nodding off in Sakura's arms. Sakura stared out at her family and smiled as she felt that everything was as it should be.


	19. Epilogue

Well this story has officially come to an end. This is the final chapter and it was a pretty sweet ride.

Thank you to everyone who read, favourited, followed and reviewed my story. You're what makes writing a pleasure! In particular, **BrightestOfCrayons** and **cathyscloud9** for your support for every chapter, your reviews made my day! And **Valkyriav** for your advice on flamers! Thank you.

But to that one guest reviewer (you know who you are), this is FANfiction. Stop whining. It's really unnecessary.

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

 **Epilogue**

Sakura tiredly entered the hospital's locker room and wound through the maze of metal lockers to number 217. She opened the locker and extracted her handbag.

The door hissed quietly on the other side of the room and a blonde woman appeared at the end of the locker row, smiling at the pink-haired woman. "Heading home?" Tsunade asked, typing in her own locker combination.

"Yes. I can't wait to see what Lee cooked tonight. He really makes the best food." She smiled fondly at the thought of her husband.

Tsunade sighed as she opened up her own locker. "You two are really adorable. I can't get Jiraiya to cook _anything_. He just sits there at the computer writing his books all day and expects me to do all the cooking and cleaning."

"But you still love him," Sakura retorted.

"You're right." A distant expression crossed Tsunade's face. "Whenever he drives me mad I think of your first baby with Lee, because that's what love is: standing beside them when things get tough."

Sakura shrugged. "You've been married longer than me. You should cut yourself some slack." She closed her locker and waved at her colleague. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Enjoy your dinner!" Tsunade called to Sakura's retreating back.

Sakura checked her phone as she headed across the staff car-park, noting one missed message from… her hahaoya. Wondering why Mebuki would call her mobile (she never called her mobile), she played the message.

 _"_ _Hey sweetie, it's hahaoya and chichi here. We're just wondering if your family would like to come over for lunch on Saturday. We've spoken to Gai and he says he'd be happy to come and see you all. You know, you've been so busy recently and it'd be nice to see how our grandkids are growing up. Call me back?"_

Sakura dialled Mebuki's number but she didn't pick up, sending her straight to voicemail. "Hey hahaoya, I got your message. We'd love to come over on Saturday. Just give me the time and I'll make sure to bring some snacks and salad. Love you!" She hung up and reached her car, unlocking it and climbing inside before starting the engine and pulling out onto the road.

Her life was very packed for a twenty-six-year-old, she thought. A full-time job as a nurse as well as three kids and a husband kept her busy all hours of the day. Sometimes she envied her friends for their less-complicated lives where they still had the freedom to leave the house without worrying about the children.

Ino had grown from a pretty girl to a beautiful woman. To everyone's chagrin, she and Choji had broken up just after graduating high school. She took a year off to travel the world and decide what she wanted to do before coming back to Kohona and studying fashion. It was there that she met Sai Uchiha – cousin of Sasuke Uchiha – and they dated for a few years. Sakura wasn't ashamed to say that she found Sai really weird and was secretly glad when they broke up before Ino got her degree in Fashion Design and Technology. Ino hadn't left for Paris or anything like that but remained in Kohona where she designed and sold clothes and accessories. Fashion was her passion and she had her own shop and everything. It took a few weeks for Ino to realise that her shop was just up the road from the restaurant that Choji owned and the two reconnected soon after. Now they'd been dating for almost three years and were talking about moving in together.

Now Hinata… Hinata Hyuga worked in the movie industry. She was a make-up artist, much to Hiashi's annoyance, but she loved what she did. Make-up artistry was the perfect job for someone as shy as Hinata as she was never in the spotlight and got to meet famous people (even if they didn't remember her name). She'd worked on the set of _The Wolverine_ and had seen Hugh Jackman up close, even if she didn't do his make-up. As for her love life, she was still with Kiba. They hadn't started dating until they were both twenty; to give themselves time to mature; and then they immediately moved in together and started building a life. Kiba was the local veterinarian and he was very good at what he did. He and Hinata were so sweet together that it gave Sakura a toothache.

Tenten and Neji were still together too, both in the romantic sense and the work sense, as she was a star athlete and he was her manager. In a few years Tenten wanted to compete in the Olympics and after that she and Neji planned to settle down and start a family. They had married a year ago and Sakura's daughters had been the flower girls and her son had been the ring boy. Kiba, Lee and Choji were the groomsmen and Hinata, Sakura and Ino were the bridesmaids. Now Tenten and Neji enjoyed a privileged life, as Neji had quite a bit of money from his family, and were always happy to promote health and fitness by donating to gyms all over the country. They were liked by everyone.

But Sakura wouldn't trade her life for any of the lives her friends led.

She and Lee had married the day after her eighteenth birthday. All their friends and family were there: Ino, Hinata and Tenten were the bridesmaids and Choji, Kiba and Neji the groomsmen. Other school friends like Sasuke and Naruto (who were currently married and had a ten-year-old adopted son named Konohamaru), Shikamaru and Shino were there, as well as several school parents and of course Mebuki, Kizashi and Gai. Everyone who meant something to Sakura and Lee were there. It was a lovely wedding, with their own apartment as the joint wedding present. Another baby was conceived soon after. It was a boy and they named him Maishi to honour their parents. Two years younger than Keiko, he was a miniature version of Lee and carried all his chichi's enthusiasm.

When Maishi was six months old, Lee and Sakura agreed that they would have one more child. Then Sakurako was born and they moved to a bigger house with four bedrooms that they couldn't afford. They struggled financially for a few years, especially when all three children would start school, so Sakura planned ahead and spent the three years after Sakurako was born doing an online nursing course. That had cost a lot but it was worth it. When Sakurako started school, Sakura started working as a nurse in the hospital where all her children were born. It turned out that Tsunade and Shizune were her co-workers and the three got along very well, especially when reminiscing about Sakura's births.

Lee got a full-time job as a personal trainer. It was a good job that paid well and they were slowly paying off all their debts for the house, the online nursing course and all the school fees. Now they were both twenty-six and living a good life.

Keiko had grown up as a splitting image of her hahaoya at age ten. She was in the same grade at school as Konohamaru, the boy Sasuke and Naruto had adopted, and the two were quite close. Keiko's favourite aunt was Ino and she always loved visiting the store. At this point in time, Keiko wanted to be a fashion designer like Auntie Ino and marry a good cook like Uncle Choji.

Maishi was exactly like his chichi, except he was eight-years-old, with some of his hahaoya's common sense thrown in somewhere. He loved sport, especially soccer, and he and Lee were always in the backyard playing games or working out – just like Lee and Gai used to do. Actually, they still did. Three generations would sometimes be in the backyard playing sports. Auntie Tenten and Uncle Neji were his favourite, even if Neji would rarely play soccer with him.

Sakurako was the youngest at seven and sweetest of them all. She loved shadowing her older sister and was always willing to help hahaoya and chichi around the house, even if all she did was get in the way. She wanted to be a nurse like hahaoya, gentle like Auntie Hinata and kind to animals like Uncle Kiba. Everyone who met her couldn't help but love her and she had no idea of the affect she had. In her eyes, the world was an amazing place filled with nice people and she wanted to make it nicer.

The drive home was quick as it was late. Sakura pulled into her driveway, happy to be home, and stepped outside into a brisk spring wind. She drew her arms tight around her middle and rushed to the front door, her handbag swinging at her side.

"Hahaoya!" a delighted young voice cried as Sakura entered the house. Skinny arms were thrown around her waist and she pressed cool hands against a head of pink hair.

"Hey sweetie," she cooed. "How was school?"

Sakurako looked up at her hahaoya with intelligent green eyes. "It was great! I found a bird nest and it had eggs in it!"

"I hope you didn't touch any of them."

"Nope!"

Sakura picked up her daughter and rested her on her hip, moving further into the house. Just past the living room was the kitchen and adjoining dining room, which led to a hallway with five doors leading to different rooms.

"Hahaoya's home!" a little boy shouted, catapulting from his bedroom and racing up the hallway to hug his hahaoya.

"Hello to you too, Maishi," Sakura chuckled, ruffling his spiky black hair with her free hand.

Lee exited the kitchen wearing a lime-green apron and wielding a wooden spoon. His face split in two when he saw Sakura. "Evening, blossom!" he greeted, jumping forward for a quick peck on the cheek.

"Evening to you too." She hefted Sakurako into a more comfortable position. "Where's the other little devil?"

"Keiko has homework. She is in her room."

Sakura nodded. "I'll go see how she's doing. You alright with dinner?"

He grinned and lifted Sakurako, placing her on a nearby armchair so she could jump on his back. Sakura tried not to stare as his arm muscles bulged with the effort of holding the girl on his back. "I will knock when dinner is ready."

"Okay." Smiling, Sakura watched as Lee rushed back to the kitchen making race car noises with Sakurako on his back and Maishi trailing behind. She wandered up the hallway to the furthest door, noting lamplight shining through the open doorway, and knocked gently. "Hey honey."

"Hi hahaoya." Keiko stood from her roller chair and darted across the room, grabbing Sakura's arm and dragging her inside. "I have a question…"

All hahaoyas gave a little sigh when their child uttered those few words. Sakura simply nodded, slightly concerned, and sat on Keiko's perfectly-made bed. "What is it dear?"

Keiko sat back down on her roller chair, fidgeting. "How did you and chichi meet?" Her large green eyes were wide and searching.

"Oh." Sakura leant back, rubbing her stomach. "Well your chichi and I were best friends when we were babies. When we were your age we were best friends!" She tapped Keiko's nose cheekily, causing her daughter to giggle. "Then, when we were sixteen, we fell in love."

"When I was born." Damn, her daughter was good at Numeracy.

"Yes, you were born not long after we fell in love. Then we got married and Maishi and Sakurako came."

Keiko swung her legs slightly. "How did you know you were in love?"

Sakura blinked, taken aback. She honestly hadn't expected this question but she had to answer it. Sometime, far in the future, Sakura would tell Keiko the _entire_ story; complete with Sasuke and everything. But not today. Today she'd tell her daughter exactly what love was. "Well believe it or not, it was Christmas day when I was pregnant with you. I looked at him and realised that your chichi was the one for me. I knew everything about him: what he liked and didn't like and what made him laugh. He was always there for me even when I didn't need it. And," she leant close, "don't tell him that I told you, but your chichi has loved me since he was your sister's age."

Keiko's eyes widened even further. "That's a long time!"

"Yup. Love is wanting so badly to be with someone that you'll do whatever it takes to stay with them. You'll stick with them through the hard times and they'll stick with you."

"Like friends?"

"Like friends. Friends are the best thing in the world, other than you and your brother and sister."

"And chichi."

"And chichi."

Keiko smiled and her round face shone like the sun. "Hahaoya, I think I love Konohamaru."

Sakura froze for a split second before leaning forward to cup Keiko's face. "Oh my sweet girl, I'm so happy for you." Inside she was a ball of fear. Her little girl was growing up. This must be what her parents felt like when she had become pregnant. "But if he doesn't feel the same way, don't press him. You're such a lovely girl that he'll fall in love with you eventually. Boys are silly like that."

"Yeah, they're silly," Keiko giggled. "Maishi's really silly! Remember when he ate the crayons?"

"I remember." Sakura smiled at the memory. "Hey, how do you feel about going to your grandparent's house on the weekend?"

"I love their house! It's so pretty! And it's got my old baby toys." Keiko looked pleased with herself.

Their conversation was interrupted when Lee tapped lightly on the door. "My beautiful ladies, dinner is served." His eyes sparkled in that special way when he looked at Sakura. The woman stood and took her daughter's hand and they followed Lee to the dining room where pork belly and vegetables lay steaming.

"Yummy!" Keiko exclaimed, running and catapulting into her chair across from Maishi and Sakurako. The children served themselves and squabbled over who could have the biggest piece of pork crackling, only stopping when Maishi gave it to Lee.

"Chichi needs his pork to be big and strong," Maishi declared. Lee promptly gave it to Sakura.

"Hahaoya's been working extra-hard this week," he said. "She's been saving people."

"No, chichi should have it." Sakura gave it back. "Grandma Mebuki invited us over for lunch on Saturday."

"Yay! Lunch with grandma and grandpa!" Sakurako jumped in her seat, nearly upsetting her plate.

"Sit down," Sakura ordered. Her daughter complied. "Yes, we're going over to your grandparents' and Grandpa Gai will be there." Maishi bounced happily in his seat, as he loved seeing Gai and playing games with him. "Who wants to help me make the salad?"

"Me! Me!" Sakurako waved her arm in the air.

The rest of dinner passed loudly and joyfully. After the plates were cleared away, Lee took the children away for showers and quiet reading time before bed (it was only six o'clock). Sakura put away the leftovers and washed up tiredly, wanting nothing more than to shower and put on some comfy pyjamas. Sometimes wearing the green nurse's pants and shirt could get tiring.

With the washing up done, she went straight for a shower. Lee was in Sakurako's room, dressing the youngest child in fluffy pink pyjamas. Sakura waved at him as she passed the door and he grinned back before continuing to button up the shirt.

Her shower was quick but refreshing and she dressed in shorts and a singlet top. When she checked, Keiko was reading a book, Maishi was quietly building some LEGO and Sakurako was fast asleep already. Lee was bustling about in the kitchen, doing a quick spot of cleaning before his shower. Sakura slipped into the room she and Lee shared and went straight to the computer, dumping her handbag beside the desk. Now it was a quarter past six and she logged onto her Skype account, hoping that her three girlfriends would be online.

To her luck, they were already doing video chat. She joined the chat and came face-to-face with her three best friends.

 _"_ _Sakura! Hey!"_ Ino looked happy to see her.

"Hello darlings. How's it going?"

Hinata held her left hand up to the webcam. _"Kiba proposed! We're getting married!"_

 _"_ _It's awesome, isn't it?"_ Tenten gushed happily. _"I'll bet you'll have kids next, Hinata. Then me, then Ino."_

 _"_ _You'll be waiting a few years before I have kids,"_ Ino chuckled. _"I need to keep my fantastic figure and not ruin it like Sakura."_

"Oy! I didn't ruin it! And I've got three beautiful children, a wonderful husband, a gorgeous house and a steady job." She threw her hands up. "I'm living the dream! Hey." She leant closer to the screen. "Keiko thinks she loves Konohamaru."

 _"_ _Aww that's so cute!"_ Ino giggled. _"I think they're made for each other, like you and Lee."_ She shook her head. _"When we were sixteen I could never have imagined how our lives would turn out. Well, it was easy for you, Sakura, because you got knocked up so we could all see where that was going."_

"Lovely. Just lovely. Hinata, I'm really happy for you."

Kiba's face appeared behind Hinata's. _"What's up ladies?"_

 _"_ _Hey Kiba,"_ Tenten greeted, _"I'm a bridesmaid, right?"_

He blinked. _"Um, yeah… hon, I'm gonna go feed the dog."_ With that, he disappeared.

Ino burst out laughing. _"He's just too cute! Choji's still at the restaurant so I have ages to wait until we can snuggle with a cup of tea and watch_ Red Dwarf _reruns."_

Tenten shook her head. _"I can't believe he got you hooked on that dumb show. I watched one episode and it was totally ridiculous!"_ She pulled a face. _"That's why I'm never letting you pick what we watch on movie nights."_

Sakura laughed and was about to speak when she heard Lee call quietly, "Blossom, Maishi would like a bedtime story."

"Well girls, it's been fun but hahaoya duties call. It was great to see you all."

 _"_ _Wait!"_ Ino held up her hand. _"I'm releasing my spring line next Monday night and I'd like you all to come. It'd mean so much!"_

 _"_ _You bet,"_ Tenten nodded.

 _"_ _I wouldn't miss it for the world."_

All eyes turned to Sakura. "I suppose my parents could take them for the night… or even Gai. I'd have to ask, but at the moment my answer is yes."

 _"_ _Yippee! Nighty night Sakura!"_

She bade her friends' goodnight and logged off the computer, tiptoeing along outside her children's slightly open bedroom doors. Sakurako was out like a light, cuddled up with all her stuffed animals, and Keiko was settling down while hugging her blue teddy close. Maishi was sitting cross-legged on his bed and smiled as she entered.

"Let's tuck you in," she said softly. He laid down and she pulled his green duvet up to his chin. "Now what do you want me to read?"

" _Snow White_ ," he answered immediately, snuggling down into his blanket. Sakura smiled and picked up _Grimm's Brothers Tales_ from his bedside table, opened it to the story and began to read. Maishi took her hand as she read, which tugged at her heart strings, and he was asleep before she'd finished the story. She set the book down, switched off the lamp and kissed his forehead gently.

"Good night sweetheart." Sakura went to Keiko's room next and listened to her soft breath before kissing her cheek. She then did the same for Sakurako before heading to bed herself, even though it wasn't yet seven o'clock. There was some paperwork that needed doing before she fell into her much-needed slumber.

Lee was already tucked in, his hair damp from a shower. He was reading the primary school parents manual for some reason but it had him thoroughly engrossed. Sakura climbed in beside him with a laptop and the day's reports, proceeding to boot up the laptop and open a Word document.

"Thanks for making dinner," she said quietly.

"It was no trouble. I love cooking for you and the children."

She nodded slowly and selected the pregnancy journal of a first-time hahaoya, where she would read over the notes made and make sure everything was in order. There was nothing like that around when she was pregnant, but she'd had her parents.

"Ino's releasing her spring line Monday week. You fancy coming with me? I'm sure hahaoya and chichi would be okay with letting the kids sleep over."

"Of course! I am always interested to see what Ino has been doing." He closed the book and laid his head on her shoulder. "What are you writing?"

"It's a report for Tsunade. She's got her hands full with that darn husband of hers and I have some free time so…"

Lee laughed breathily. "We have not had much free time for the last ten years. That is the one downside of parenthood, but everything else is part of the upside."

"That's true." She awkwardly bent her arm and patted his head with her wrist twisted, as she couldn't touch him without shifting her shoulder and disturbing him. "The upsides are all in this home right now."

He nuzzled her hand. "The upsides are the best things in life. Good night, blossom." He yawned and shifted, settling down with an arm around her waist. Sakura smiled as he dozed off and continued her reports for another hour before deciding to go to sleep herself. She wriggled down into bed and switched off the final light, bathing the entire house in darkness. Her mind shut down slowly as her thoughts drifted to tomorrow and the day after that. They then focused on her family and she smiled into her pillow.

Keiko, Maishi and Sakurako. Three beautiful children born from the love between her and sweet, smiling, thoughtful and absolutely amazing Lee. Nothing was better than this, she thought, before finally falling asleep.

o.O.o

 _Owari_


End file.
